The Huffington Post
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The Huffington Post (often referred to on the Internet as HuffPost or HuffPo) is a political group weblog founded by Arianna Huffington and Kenneth Lerer. It was launched on May 9, 2005 as a news and commentary outlet. Its roster of bloggers includes many people from Huffington's extensive network of prominent friends. As of August 8, 2006 it was the 5th most popular weblog overall as measured by web links[1] and the most popular "Analysis and Opinion" web site as measured by web hits.[2]
In addition to regular (often daily) columns by Huffington and a core group of contributors (such as Harry Shearer and John Conyers) , the HuffPost has featured notable celebrity contributors from politics, journalism, business, and entertainment (Norman Mailer, John Cusack, and Bill Maher, to name a few), as well as other relative unknowns. Because of the prominence and access of its contributors, the HuffPost regularly publishes scoops of current news stories, otherwise providing links to selected prominent news stories, providing a left-of-center counterpoint to the link-heavy style of The Drudge Report. Compared to other left-wing blogs such as the expertise-heavy Znet or the long-established Daily Kos, the HuffPost draws a balance between hard news commentary and coverage, popular culture and celebrity opinion features. It is also known for the wide range of opinions expressed by members of the public who are encouraged to comment on the original articles. The comment section is home to discussions on politics, religion, topical events, world affairs, cultural and social matters. It has an open format, and rarely does a commenter get banned for his or her views or even a verbal attack. Long, pointless, ad hominem, abusive and endlessly repetitious comments are the only sure way to be banned.
In August 2006, it was announced that Softbank Capital would invest $5 million dollars in the online news site, which has grown dramatically popular in only a year, to help expand it. Plans include hiring more staff to update the site 24 hours a day, hiring in-house reporters, and a multimedia team to do video reports. Alan Patricof's Greycroft Partners also invested. The news marks the site's first "first round of venture capital funding."[3]
The site now has invested in Vlogging, video blogging, with many of the site contributors contributing via video, and capturing clips in the media and posting them on the site.
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[edit] Contributors
A comprehensive list of Huffington Post contributors can be found here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/index/
Celebrity bloggers include current or former politicians:
Prominent journalists & authors include:
Among the actors, comedic performers, directors, and producers featured have been:
Business people featured include:
Others include:
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Advance publicity claimed forthcoming articles from:
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[edit] Awards
The Huffington Post won the 2006 Webby Awards for Best Political Blog.
Arianna Huffington was selected to the TIME 100 list recognizing the 100 most influential people.[4]
[edit] Controversy
George Clooney stated that he didn't compose a blog post that appeared on the Huffington Post under his name. Arianna Huffington stated that she received permission from Clooney's publicist to compile quotes from his television interviews and post it as a blog. The misunderstanding led to a rift between Clooney and Huffington, and she later backtracked from her original statements about having permission to create the post. [5]
Blogger Jane Hamsher posted a photoshopped picture of a blackfaced Joe Lieberman embracing Bill Clinton in a post supportive of Lieberman's opponent Ned Lamont. Hamsher has been actively supporting Ned Lamont as she has traveled with him and has raised money for his campaign. In a statement, Lieberman said that the photo was "one of the most disgusting and hurtful images that has been used in American history, it's deeply offensive to people of all colors, and it has absolutely no place in the political arena today." The Lieberman campaign demanded that Lamont sever all ties with Hamsher and refuse to take any money that Hamsher may have raised for him. In response to the photo, the Lamont campaign immediately ordered Hamsher to take the picture down. A spokesman for the Lamont campaign called the photo "offensive and inappropriate." Hamsher later apologized on her own blog, but also criticized Joe Lieberman for trying to use the graphic to score political points. [6] Huffington Post blogger and Lieberman critic Ari Melber wrote on the website that "blackface is very offensive" and Hamsher was right to remove the photo and apologize. [7] Lamont was also asked about the photo on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopolous.
The New York Times newspaper reports on the controversy surrounding blogger Peter Rost being banned from the Huffington Post. [8] Rost claims he was fired for acting as a whistle blower exposing a troll within the Huffington Post organization; Huffington claims he was banned because "his blog was becoming about personal grudges...[which] would have been no problem if the posts were interesting."
[edit] External links
[edit] Notes
- ^ Technorati
- ^ Alexa measurements for Huffington Post website
- ^ Softbank Capital invests $5 mln in Huffington Post, Reuters, August 7, 2006, accessed October 18, 2006
- ^ The Time 100 : Arianna Huffington, TIME, April 30, 2006, accessed October 18, 2006
- ^ On George Clooney's Blog, Arianna Huffington in The Huffington Post, March 15, 2006, accessed October 18, 2006
- ^ Lieberman Assails Lamont Over Supporter's Blog Post by Dan Balz, The Washington Post, August 3, 2006, accessed October 18, 2006
- ^ Lieberman-Lamont Race Gets Fierce, From Race Baiting to National Security by Ari Melber, The Huffington Post, August 3, 2006, accessed October 18, 2006
- ^ A Blogger Is Bounced From the Huffington Post by Maria Aspan, The New York Times, June 26, 2006, currently subscribers only
