Truthdig

Truthdig
Web address truthdig.com
Commercial? Commercial
Type of site
 News commentary, editorials
Registration Optional
Available in English
Owner Truthdig, L.L.C.
Created by Robert Scheer
Zuade Kaufman
Launched 2005
Alexa rank
 negative increase 34,121 (April 2014)[1]
Current status Active

Truthdig is a news website that provides a mix of long-form articles, interviews, and blog-like commentary on current events, delivered from a "progressive"[2] point of view. The site is built around major "digs" led by authorities in their fields who write multifaceted pieces about contemporary, often controversial, topics. Articles on Truthdig are open for comments, in which their readers tend to get into active discussions.

Truthdig was co-founded by Los Angeles entrepreneur Zuade Kaufman, who serves as publisher, and journalist Robert Scheer, who serves as editor in chief and writes a weekly column for the site.[3]

Origins

Truthdig's Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer and publisher Zuade Kaufman met while she was working as his research assistant for the Los Angeles Times' hyperlocal editions Westside Weekly and Our Times. When the newspaper changed owners and the local editions were cut, Scheer and Kaufman saw a new opportunity in the Internet. After Kaufman graduated from the University of Southern California with a Master of Arts in journalism, they launched Truthdig.com.[4]

The website's mission is to "drill beneath the headlines" and provide readers with in-depth stories often skimmed over or skewed by mass media. The publication features original reports, opinion columns, cartoons and "digs," comprehensive reports led by experts in various fields.[5]

Contributors

Some of Truthdig's most popular articles include "An Atheist Manifesto" by Sam Harris[6] and "President Jonah" by Gore Vidal, which compared President George W. Bush to the biblical Jonah.[7]

In October 2006, Truthdig featured an exclusive 660-word essay titled "After Pat's Birthday"[8] about the late NFL player and American soldier Pat Tillman's death written by his brother Kevin. The essay was widely distributed and was cited in The New York Times and Associated Press.[9]

On the tenth anniversary of the Iraq War, Truthdig published "The Last Letter"[10] by Tomas Young, a veteran paralyzed in Iraq, in which he addresses George W. Bush and Dick Cheney and condemns them as war criminals. The letter, written as Young awaits his death under hospice care, was translated into several languages and printed world-wide.[11]

Other significant contributors include Robert Scheer, Chris Hedges, John Dean, Larry Gross, Bill Blum, Col. Ann Wright, Sonali Kolhatkar, Daniel Ellsberg, Max Blumenthal, Greg Palast, Scott Ritter, Amy Goodman, Juan Cole, Bill Boyarsky[12] and editorial cartoonist Mr. Fish.

Exclusive weekly contributions such as Chris Hedges' columns[13] and Mr. Fish's cartoons[14] have won the news site a variety of awards and recognition throughout the years.[15]

Awards

During the 2012 presidential election year, Truthdig won their fifth Webby Award,[16] this time for Best Political Website,[17] a category in which they competed with contenders such as The Nation magazine and Politico. In both 2011 and 2010, Truthdig won the Webby Award jury prize for Best Political Blog against nominees including Atlantic Politics, Comedy Central's Indecision and The Huffington Post.[18] In 2007, Truthdig was nominated for Webby Awards in the categories of News, Politics and Political Blog. The site won the judges' award as well as the people's voice award for Best Political Blog.[19]

In 2011 and 2010 the Society of Professional Journalists honored Truthdig resident cartoonist Mr. Fish as the recipient of its Sigma Delta Chi Award for Editorial Cartooning in the Online Independent category.[20]

Also in 2011 and 2010, the Los Angeles Press Club named Truthdig Best Website Exclusive to the Internet[21] in its annual Southern California Journalism Awards. Between 2009 and 2012, the Press Club has awarded top honors to Truthdig columnists, including Online Journalists of the Year Chris Hedges (twice) and Bill Boyarsky; Mark Heisler, Best Online Sports Feature for his Truthdig columns, "Role Models for the Id" and "It’s Not About Tiger Woods, It’s About Us"; Chris Hedges, Best Online Column for "One Day We'll All Be Terrorists" and "Party to Murder"; and Scott Ritter, Best Online News Story for the feature "Dinner with Ahmed."[22][23]

In 2012, Truthdig book critic Mel White took home the top prize at the L.A. Press Club’s Fifth Annual National Entertainment Journalism (NEJ) Awards in the online critic category for his James H. Cone’s book “The Cross and the Lynching Tree." In 2009 and 2008, the weekly Truthdig Book Review,[24] then edited by former Los Angeles Times book editor Steve Wasserman, won the Western Publishing Association's Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column.[25]

References

  1. ↑ "Truthdig.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
  2. ↑ SBWire.com 6 May 2013 'Truthdig is a 2013 Webby Award Winner in Politics'
  3. ↑ Information Today, Inc. Truthdig Digs for the Truth Beneath Today’s Headlines Retrieved 27 Jul 2013
  4. ↑ Ulyseas, Mark. "Interview with Zuade Kaufman". Live Encounters Magazine. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  5. ↑ "Truthdig- About". Truthdig. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  6. ↑ Sam Harris (8 Feb 2006). "An Atheist Manifesto". Truthdig. Retrieved 2007-03-31.
  7. ↑ Gore Vidal (7 Feb 2006). "President Jonah". Truthdig. Retrieved 2007-03-31.
  8. ↑ Truthdig.com Oct. 19, 2006. 'After Pat's Birthday'
  9. ↑ NYtimes.com (24 Oct 2006).'Brother of N.F.L. Star Posts Antiwar Essay'
  10. ↑ Young, Tomas. "The Last Letter". Truthdig. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  11. ↑ Zimet, Abby. "Guerra de Irak: la última carta de Tomas Young". Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  12. ↑ Truthdig.com 'Bill Boyarsky'
  13. ↑ Truthdig.com 'Chris Hedges' Columns'
  14. ↑ Truthdig.com 'Mr. Fish's Cartoons'
  15. ↑ Truthhdig.com 'Truthdig-About'
  16. ↑ The Webby Awards. Political websites 2013
  17. ↑ The Webby Awards. "Politics". Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  18. ↑ USC Annenberg. 6 May 2011 'SCHEER'S "TRUTHDIG" WINS 2ND WEBBY AWARD'
  19. ↑ The Webby Awards. '11th Annual Webby Awards Nominees & Winners'
  20. ↑ Truthdig.com SPJ Recognizes the Genius of Mr. Fish Again
  21. ↑ LA Press Club. 2011 Journalism Awards
  22. ↑ LA Press Club. 'Winners of 52nd Annual SoCal Journalism Awards Announced'
  23. ↑ Society of Professional Journalists. SPJ: 'Announcing winners of the 2009 Sigma Delta Chi Awards for journalism'
  24. ↑ Truthdig.com 'Truthdig Book Review'
  25. ↑ Western Publishing Association. 2008 and 2009 Maggie Winners

External links