arianna huffington has long reigned as Queen of the United States ' chat ring classes, using her huffington Post home page as a platform to transform itself into a darling of the U.s. left-leaning media elite.
But no longer. When she announced that HuffPo was sold to web giant AOL been for $ 315 m Huffington , accused of being a political sellout and a person who made a personal fortune from the labour of thousands of bloggers who write for no pay.
U.s. Newspaper Guild, the journalists union, has begun a campaign to target the Huffington Post as having a business model, have done great harm by not paying contributors. It has demanded that the Huffington donate some of her AOL deal profits to invest in paid journalism. "After the construction of a media empire based on unpaid writers and republish the works of others. .. We call on Arianna Huffington to invest in quality journalism by sharing a part of this success," said guild's President, Bernie Lunzer.
That appeal is likely to fall on deaf ears. HuffPo spokesman Mario Ruiz denied home page was a problem for the industry, says: "it is wrong and insulting to insist that HuffPo takes advantage of journalists".
But since AOL deal was announced this month, there has been an avalanche of criticism of the website and its smooth-talking founder. "In order to understand its business model ... you need the image to a galley red of slaves and led by pirates," blasted the Los Angeles Times columnist Tim Rutten.
Blogger and cartoonist Matt boron's effect revealed that he refused a HuffPo offers to put his work on the site, because it would not pay him. He called the HuffPo business model offers publicity and exposure instead of money "abominable". Media critic David Carr, New York Times referred to Huffpos business practices in an article the main name "on the media companies, a nation of serfs".
Despite HuffPo bloggers joined the condemnation. One, RB, Stuart, regretted posting content on HuffPo, which she estimated was worth $ 25,000, writes: "Carmen not only sold her soul as well as her ship of slaves, but created the seeds of her demise with this action of greed and exploitation". Other bloggers said they would never be able to write to her again and a Facebook page was set up to make HuffPo to pay its bloggers. It was called "Hey Carmen, you can save a dime"? ". Advertising age columnist and critic Simon Dumenco HuffPo, gleefully cataloged all criticism in one piece with the title "Welcome aboard anti-HuffPo wagon".
It is a remarkable turnaround for the Huffington's image, which has long bathed in a glow of positive publicity. After the founding of HuffPo in 2005, the former Republican and socialite turned quickly to one of the world's most influential websites and a self-declared liberal alternative to the conservative Fox News channel. It won her applause from new media evangelists and U.s. afflicted Democrats. She was a regular pundit cable news shows and a set of democratic social circles.
But not so much now, especially after the Huffington said she had always imagined HuffPo as more than just a policy website, and said it had no overall ideology. Dim site Liberal campaign to many observers, who worked as a deliberate paraphrase of the past, and certainly a strong suggestion that AOL firmæts ownership would see it.
"Backlash is well deserved," said Professor Jack Lule, journalism professor at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. "She has made a fortune on the back of the freelance writers working for nothing, but also there is a political betrayal. She betrayed the ideals of a lot of people who were happy to work for something because they trøde, it was for a job. "
Others agree, says Huffingtons history to change its policy from Republican Liberals probably should have been warned many future work shift would. "She has been a little disingenuous. It is not surprising, I guess, "says Professor Chris Daly, who teaches journalism at Boston University. He added, however, there was perhaps an inevitability about the backlash against Huffington, which stemmed from envy on her success as much as the view that she had misled and exploit human beings.
"There is some sour grapes involved here. Some people look at her success and that she turned a blog in a large mountain of cash. It is a dream for a lot of people, but they will not be able to make it to the same extent, "he said.
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