L to purchase The Huffington Post by AOL is not just a financial transaction within the current media landscape, but which is also a clear sign of where business is headed communication.
The site he founded in 2005 Arianna Huffington with other partners and is editor in chief has become years in an example of journalism of the future, without ties to traditional media, without inheritance of the past, large groups behind ... I mean, this is a project born from the personal initiative of a group of professionals who demonstrated that you can do great things in the coming digital journalism almost nothing in a short period of time. And all based on a good job, not always without controversy, which has reported to The Huffington Post "brand image and prestige in the profession, supporting more than 25 million users a month.
What why a giant like AOL come unless you buy a web as "The Huffington Post"? Well, precisely because it provides what is missing: the prestige of journalism, that popularity and quality content such that, at present, have failed to obtain by other means. If AOL has paid more than 231 million euros by the online media has been for the quality, not quantity, for users who might provide Arianna Huffington's website are only 10% of the group's total world.
What gives their owners the sale of "The Huffington Post" to AOL? Well, besides more than a hearty amount of money, the possibility to give dimension to a project that I was staying small. There were plans for expansion, an idea to increase the information part, the content ... Well, with this backing will grow to become the news web of global scope and always wanted to be able to compete face to face with Digital Editions traditional mainstream media like The New York Times, CNN or FOX.
addition, the agreement also gives immense power Arianna Huffington, it will lead a newly created company, initially named as The Huffington Post Media Group, which encompass both content generated so far, "The Huffington Post" as those of his AOL, so she'll mark the publishing of this enlarged group.
And finally, what the media landscape is for this agreement? Well, obviously, again highlighting that in the end, as always, the big fish eats the small. It is clear that although the merged group is led by the founder of The Huffington Post, its margin for maneuver when reporting is much lower, as the economic and political interests converge in a giant like AOL are many. Therefore, it is clear that independent journalism loses a reference-however much one may not agree with the work they do is web-and is also a notice to mariners.
However, initiatives that still survive from the approach of another kind of journalism is possible, remain faithful to a commitment to independence, as is the case -web ProPublica investigative journalism without profit-in the U.S. or Mediapart.fr in France, which is defined as an independent online newspaper created by journalists and controlled by its creators, "to cite just two examples. What is needed is to get to stay that way.
