From Michael Calderone at Politico’s recent profile of The Huffington Post:
“While (The Huffington Post) wants to be taken seriously, much of its traffic is driven by entertainment and sex. While it ridicules mainstream media, it relies on it for much of its content.”
He goes on.
“But if political coverage gets the most attention in Washington, more than half Huffington Post’s traffic is driven by gossip and entertainment stories. The day the Froomkin news broke, for example, the site’s most popular story wasn’t about health care – it was “American Flag Bikini Moments: What’s YOUR Favorite?” Indeed, the Washington City Paper’s Amanda Hess called attention to the sometimes schizophrenic nature of the site in a recent piece: “Liberal Politics, Sexist Entertainment.” Similarly, columnist Simon Dumenco, last month in AdAge, wrote that the Huffington Post “likes to pretend that it’s a respectable voice in the mediasphere, but it shamelessly pumps up its traffic by being just as trashy as, say, Maxim.”
And finally, a quote from Arianna: “The idea that there is a progressive way to cover entertainment and a conservative way is laughable.”
True enough, but might there be a better way?
(via The Daily Dish)
