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The Huffington Post – an insider’s point of view

After AOL bought the Huffington Post, many opinions began to circulate about the overall purpose of the online periodical. In an attempt to clarify some issues and allow insight into the Huff’s main function, an interview was held with Moran Barkai, a blogger for the online periodical. This is what she had to say.

How do you perceive the Huffington Post? Is it a blog or a liberal news website?

It is a bit of both, which makes it an unusual creature in the media landscape. Most websites (though clearly not all), fall into one category or another, at least the big ones. Nowadays, practically all of the major newspapers have a section dedicated to bloggers, but this section is usually limited in breadth. The particularity of the Huffington is to give a space that is relatively equally distributed between news provided by journalists (even if it’s aggregated articles) and bloggers.

According to you, what is the motivation for so many writers to work for free?

I would say that there are two main reasons. When it started, I suppose many writers were politically motivated. The main idea behind the Huffington was to propose an alternative to the very conservative Drudge Report, which was dominating the American Blogosphere. The Drudge Report itself was working as a one-man blog, with some outside contribution. So the idea was that the Huffington will work similarly, building on the contribution of bloggers. And I think that’s the reason why so many writers joined in the beginning. We can’t really claim that Arianna is a revolutionary, but many were excited about contributing to a news platform that was rather liberal, in the conservative atmosphere that prevailed in the time of its creation. And as it started to pick up pace, it was also easy for bloggers to gain visibility. Some blog writers already had some kind of notoriety in the States, so for them it was an accessible platform on which to post their thoughts and comments on issues that were important to them. And as for those with less notoriety – well obviously, when the Huff became one of the most read media outlets, it was very appealing for writers to get a space that allowed them to address a very large readership, which would be difficult for them, if they only write in their own, private blog.

Do you think this readiness to write for free will change now that AOL has bought HuffPo?

Well, it seems that it does matter to some. I have to say I’m not sure what my stand is on this one. On the one hand, the AOL move clearly makes the Huff a commercial platform, so people might be a bit more reluctant to contribute to it for free. On the other hand, it’s naïve to ignore the commercial aspects the Huffington had even before that. And the visibility aspect is clearly motivating for any writer. I think the big question for me would be how this “marriage” will affect the Huffington in the future. If it is going to drain it of its political slant, than I’m sure it will put off people, writers and readers alike.

What was the idea of the website when Arianna Huffington launched it? Is it still the same concept behind the idea today?

Well, as I said, it was supposed to provide an alternative to the Drudge Report, but also to the whole media environment of the time that followed the Bush administration in a herd-like manner. I think it was shocking for many, both in the US and the rest of the world. And as the US is still the world’s leading power, many people outside the country still regard some of its press as a point of reference. So in a way, the Huff filled in a gap.
Today, the underlying reason for its existence is probably not as obvious, because the whole media environment is not as pro-republican biased as it used to be, it has corrected its course a bit. But still, Arianna is very politically engaged, and this is still reflected in the Huff. 

Do you see a danger in big media tycoons such as AOL buying news blogs or online newspapers?

Yes. Potentially, it’s dangerous, and not only for online news providers but even for the “traditional” press. Still, the reality of today’s press is that it’s very difficult to find any newspaper that’s not in the hand of some industry tycoon. In France, for instance, pretty much all private TV channels and written press is in the hands of industrialists (in two instances – with the Dassault and the Lagardère families, two big media owners – their primary businesses are aeronautics and armament), with close ties to the president. Having an owner who has vested financial interests outside the medium, be they political or financial, means that you also have to consider interests which are not purely journalistic. At the end of the day, some media owners manage to resist outside political intervention, while others don’t. Today the problem remains partly contained, as media diversity saves us from unfortunate situations, but if democratic institutions weaken, it can lead us to some pretty sorry situations. Also, I think that today, media in general and journalism in particular face many problems, and the tycoon ownership is just one more added to the list. I would like to add that this problem of commercial ownership is almost as old as the newspaper, and while it certainly hampers the old journalistic ideals, nobody has found a way to get around it. Its part of the joys of capitalistic society.

Is the profession of journalists jeopardized through big media groups or, more generally spoken, through news websites not paying their writers?

I’m not sure. I think we are now in a midst of an evolutionary process, without anybody knowing for sure how the winds will turn. It might go one way or another. It’s up to the press to redefine its work and its capacity to sustain itself. Many bloggers, especially those more interesting ones, write and provide really valuable information as a secondary occupation. Because they feel like putting their expert opinion forth. It’s not necessarily a bad evolution, to have for instance lawyers give you an analysis of a new directive or resolution. And it doesn’t necessarily undermine the journalistic work.
The problem is a broader one, and it goes beyond that of journalism. The problem is that nowadays, the trend is to encourage “participatory culture” with people providing information or creative input, while their work receives no recognition of any kind. That’s a societal problem that’s closely connected to the Web 2.0 revolution, and as I said, the jury’s still out as to how things will turn out. The only real means that we have to protect ourselves is to be aware of the dangers and keep ourselves informed (So, obviously, better informed than I was concerning the Huff-AOL move, but then again, I’m a fashion blogger, so I’m officially allowed to be clueless). 
___________________________________________________________________________

For more information on the issue of AOL purchasing the Huffington Post please refer to the following links:

- AOL Agrees to Acquire the Huffington Post
- Betting on News, AOL is Buying the Huffington Post
- AOL Buys ‘Huffington Post’, Arianna to be Head of Content

Tags: aol, big media groups, bush administration, france, head, huffington post, huffington post aol, huffington post arianna, huffington post read, huffpo well, media diversity, media environment, media outlets, media owners, media tycoons, news aol, online news providers, online newspapers, president, the huffington post, united states, writer,

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