History, Ownership Changes, and Rebranding
– The Huffington Post was launched in 2005 as a commentary outlet and alternative to news aggregators.
– It was founded by Arianna Huffington, Andrew Breitbart, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti.
– The website initially focused on crafting SEO stories and headlines.
– In 2006, The Huffington Post raised $5 million in funding.
– In 2008, it raised $25 million from Oak Investment Partners.
– In 2011, AOL acquired The Huffington Post for $315 million.
– In 2015, Verizon Communications acquired AOL, and The Huffington Post became part of Verizon Media.
– In 2020, BuzzFeed acquired The Huffington Post.
– In 2017, The Huffington Post rebranded as HuffPost.
– In 2021, Danielle Belton became editor-in-chief of HuffPost.
Local and International Editions
– HuffPost launched local editions in Chicago, New York, Denver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
– The first international edition, HuffPost Canada, was launched in 2011.
– HuffPost UK, Le Huffington Post (French), HuffPost Voces (Spanish), and other international editions were also launched.
Expansion and Launches
– HuffPost launched editions for Maghreb, Germany, WorldPost, Brasil, Korea, Greece, India, HuffPost Arabi, Australia, and South Africa.
– Some editions were later closed or ended partnerships.
Criticism and Controversy
– The Huffington Post faced criticism for using unpaid bloggers, leading to a strike and lawsuit in 2011.
– The appointment of Anne Sinclair as editorial director in France during the Strauss-Kahn affair received criticism.
– HuffPost South Africa had to apologize for publishing a discriminatory column.
– HuffPost was criticized for publishing a story praising Jeffrey Epstein.
Political Stance, Awards, and Influence
– HuffPost is seen as a mostly progressive, liberal-leaning outlet.
– It won a Pulitzer Prize in 2012 and received other awards.
– HuffPost played a role in shaping political discussions and influencing public opinion.
– It pioneered the use of social media and engagement strategies.
– HuffPost attracted a large and loyal readership, contributing to the evolution of online journalism.Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Huffington_Post
