I interviewed Arianna Huffington for Campaign Turkey's October issue. Here's the original transcript in English.
How involved are you in Huffington Post's daily routine? Are you active at the editor's desk, newsmaking, aggregating or are you more involved in the company side?
I'm completely involved in HuffPost's day-to-day editorial decisions. It's probably my favorite part of the job. I'm in constant contact with our editors, not only discussing the news of the day but how we can stay on the stories that matter most after others in the media have moved on.
Is it fair to state that Huffington Post filled a great void during the Bush years but continued to grow in the last four years as well?
We don't determine our coverage or measure our growth by who's in office. Our approach at HuffPost is "beyond left and right." There is nothing left-wing or right-wing about caring for the millions of Americans who are unemployed, or the multiple crises affecting people around the world. That said, we have definitely continued to grow in the last four years. We now have more than 70 verticals, and the Huffington Post Media Group has nearly 800 employees worldwide -- including reporters, editors, and members of our tech, sales and marketing teams. In terms of engagement, it took us 6 years to reach 100 million comments. But just six months later, we'd reached 150 million comments.
What was Huffington Post's mission in the Bush years, and how has it changed since then?
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| Arianna Huffington, the founder and owner of Huffington Post. |
Our mission is the same now as it was then: to take the sort of conversations found at water coolers and around dinner tables -- about politics and art and books and food and sex -- and open them up and bring them online. And there's certainly been no shortage of conversation-worthy news and cultural events since Bush left office.
HuffPost was considered to be a voice of dissent during Bush era but it is still, if not even hugely, relevant today. Is there a secret formula to sustainability?
Part of going beyond left and right means that, as a news organization, we bring the same scrutiny to our elected officials and institutions, no matter what party is in power. In my own writing, I've been quite critical of President Obama. So we don't think of it as being the voice of dissent from any one party or ideology. We think of ourselves as a voice in favor of accountability, whoever is in office.
Part of going beyond left and right means that, as a news organization, we bring the same scrutiny to our elected officials and institutions, no matter what party is in power. In my own writing, I've been quite critical of President Obama. So we don't think of it as being the voice of dissent from any one party or ideology. We think of ourselves as a voice in favor of accountability, whoever is in office.
Do you predict the death of newspapers, if so when will they complete their mission?
I've always believed that as long as we live there will be print newspapers. But at HuffPost we look forward to a hybrid future, with traditional outlets adopting the tools of digital journalists --including speed, transparency and engagement-- and new media adopting the best practices of traditional journalism, including fact-checking, fairness, and accuracy. So the division between "old media" and "new media" is increasingly meaningless. And the mission of newspapers will never be complete, it's just that the ways in which that mission is fulfilled will always be changing.
Well, we have enough sections that we allow people to dig in to virtually any passion they have. But we do it in our own way. At HuffPost, we try to infuse everything we do with an element of anticipation, surprise, and playfulness -- especially in our headlines and splashes. When you visit our site, you have a sense of occasion -- the feeling that we are putting on a show for you. And we're not afraid to have fun while doing it. That's allowed us to make our audience both bigger and more engaged.
Why did you choose Anne Sinclair to head your operations in France? Was her already existing celebrity status a factor?
I was always impressed by Anne Sinclair’s gifts as a journalist, her dedication, the pursuit of excellence she brought to every task, and her passion for ideas. And I love the fact that she embraced digital journalism and was even blogging herself before she became our editorial director.
How do you choose who works for Huffington Post? What are the criteria? For domestic and international.
Like anyone, we try to hire the best people we can. We look for passion, a willingness to connect, a sense of fun, and a hunger to be on the front lines of the hybrid journalistic future I mentioned above.
Internationally, we partner with established media companies: for example, Le Monde in France, Gruppo Espresso in Italy, and El País in Spain. We find their unmatched local expertise, together with HuffPost's powerful platform, is key to telling the stories that need to be told -- and just as important, helping people tell those stories themselves.
Will HuffPo's expansion continue?
Yes. In the next 7 years, my dream is to launch editions in each of the 10 major languages that cover more than 2/3 of the world.
Yes. In the next 7 years, my dream is to launch editions in each of the 10 major languages that cover more than 2/3 of the world.
What will Huff Po branding offer readers in other countries that they don't already have?
We live in a golden age of engagement, and our goal at HuffPost is to help readers tap into the best that our age has to offer. We do that with our original reporting, our blog platform, and aggregation. I always say that even if I had an unlimited budget to produce unlimited original content, I would still aggregate, because there is great content being produced out there, and our goal is to allow our readers to access the best content in the world. And we do it in our own particular way, with a sense of passion and fun.
We live in a golden age of engagement, and our goal at HuffPost is to help readers tap into the best that our age has to offer. We do that with our original reporting, our blog platform, and aggregation. I always say that even if I had an unlimited budget to produce unlimited original content, I would still aggregate, because there is great content being produced out there, and our goal is to allow our readers to access the best content in the world. And we do it in our own particular way, with a sense of passion and fun.
Is it still hard for web sites to survive merely on advertising or a financial investor is still necessary?
Our advertising strategy is not just based on CPM, but sponsorships. We've launched sponsored sections on Global Motherhood (Johnson & Johnson) and Good News (Capella University).
How is the merger with AOL going so far?
For HuffPost, the merger has been like stepping off of an already fast-moving train and onto a supersonic jet. We're still traveling toward the same destination, with the same people at the wheel, and with the same goals, but we're now getting there much, much faster.
Our advertising strategy is not just based on CPM, but sponsorships. We've launched sponsored sections on Global Motherhood (Johnson & Johnson) and Good News (Capella University).
How is the merger with AOL going so far?
For HuffPost, the merger has been like stepping off of an already fast-moving train and onto a supersonic jet. We're still traveling toward the same destination, with the same people at the wheel, and with the same goals, but we're now getting there much, much faster.
There were objections at first about the merger in certain circles, arguing that an affiliation with a big company would take away from Huff Po's independence. Do you think time has proved them wrong or are there more concern you need to consider while running the portal now?
I think our coverage proves that any worries about HuffPost losing its independence were unfounded. More than a year after the merger, we're still holding our leaders accountable, putting the spotlight on the stories that need telling, and using all the tools are our disposal to get beyond the tired prism of left vs. right. In fact, we haven't changed what we're doing, we're just doing more of it.
Do you have any predictions for November 2012?
I think it's crucial that if President Obama is re-elected, he lives up to the high standards he set for himself in the 2008 campaign and in this campaign as well. It's not enough to simply beat Mitt Romney. America has big problems and it's going to require more of a willingness to fight for the solutions -- and take that fight to the public and enlist their support, as well -- if we're going to solve them.
You emphasize the importance of sleep a lot. Don't you think sleep is a waste of time?
You emphasize the importance of sleep a lot. Don't you think sleep is a waste of time?
No! Just the opposite. The sure-fire way to waste time is skimp on sleep. Sleep is connected to so many aspects of our lives: our health, our work, our memories, our creativity. And the US, and many other countries around the world, is suffering from sleep-deprivation, and we are paying a terrible price. The prevailing culture tells us that nothing succeeds like excess, and that working 70 hours a week is better than working 60. In order to tap into our own wisdom and our own big ideas, maybe all we need is to close our eyes.
I know you are a Blackberry user, are you addicted to mobile devices?
I know you are a Blackberry user, are you addicted to mobile devices?
I carry four BlackBerrys. Yes, four! It's one of the reasons I took up the Sleep Challenge in 2010 -- and continue to this day -- agreeing to charge my BlackBerrys in a different room when I went to bed, lest I be tempted to check them should I wake up in the middle of the night. So, yes, I am addicted, and instead of quitting cold turkey I'm excited about the number of technological solutions that are appearing on the horizon to help us curb our addiction to technology.
