Huffington Post

Started in May 2005, the Huffington Post was co-founded by Arianna Huffington and former AOL executive Kenneth Lerer. The founders aimed to position it as the liberal answer to Matt Drudge's Drudge Report, the popular conservative news site that gathers headlines from around the Web. Initially, the site drew on Huffington's rolodex of A-list celebrities and high-powered friends, soliciting early contributions from the likes of Larry David, Diane...

Were you among the millions of people who gasped in horror -- and maybe a little glee -- at the story of the scorned dentist who yanked out her ex-lover's teeth in revenge? Turns out the story appears to be a hoax. And among those who fell for it? Yours truly, and the Los Angeles Times. On May 1, I wrote how the story of a vengeful dentist in Poland named Anna Mackowiak was richocheting around the Internet and setting social media channels on fire. On Facebook alone, it was shared thousands upon thousands of times.

It used to be "You've got mail. " Now it's becoming "You've got news. " With the $315-million purchase of the Huffington Post, a 5-year-old news and politics website run by political pundit Arianna Huffington, AOL Inc. is making its biggest bet yet that it can reinvent itself as a must-read source for online news, gossip and opinion. AOL, the Internet company that helped popularize e-mail, has seen its once-massive dial-up business dwindle to nearly one-tenth the number of subscribers it had in its heyday.

NEW YORK — The Pulitzer Prizes for journalism awarded here Monday demonstrated the resilience of old media and the ascendance of the new, as the venerable Philadelphia Inquirer won the prestigious public service medal and the 7-year-old Huffington Post took the national reporting prize for its exploration of the challenges that confront wounded U.S. service members. Digital-focused media first leaped into the Pulitzer winner's circle last year when ProPublica won the national reporting prize.

There can be few institutions more despised as 2010 begins than big U.S. banks, but what can the average person do about it? The answer, according to author and Huffington Post website co-founder Arianna Huffington: Withdraw your money. In a widely read blog post this week, Huffington and former Senate Banking Committee chief economist Rob Johnson try to stir up a popular revolt by encouraging bank customers to yank their deposits from Bank of America, Wells Fargo Bank, Chase and Citibank and move them to community banks and credit unions.

In a bid to make itself relevant again, struggling Internet pioneer AOL Inc. announced late Sunday that it would buy the Huffington Post, the well-known news and opinion site, for $315 million in cash and stock. As part of the deal, Huffington Post co-founder Arianna Huffington will oversee a new group responsible for bringing together all editorial content from both companies including news, technology, music and local media websites. The deal, which was signed Sunday with approval from the boards of both companies, is something of a gamble for AOL, which is looking to reignite growth in advertising revenue.

Whatever the ultimate impact of AOL's $315-million acquisition of the Huffington Post on the new-media landscape, it's already clear that the merger will push more journalists more deeply into the tragically expanding low-wage sector of our increasingly brutal economy. That's a development that will hurt not only the people who gather and edit the news but also readers and viewers. To understand why, it's helpful to step back from the wide-eyed coverage focused on foundering AOL's last-ditch effort to stave off the oblivion of irrelevance, or Brentwood-based Arianna Huffington's astonishing commercial achievement in taking her Web news portal from startup to commercial success in less than six years.

The gravitational pull of Planet Huffington drew them in relentlessly in this convention-besieged city: news anchors, U.S. senators, Hollywood luminaries and everyday folks, orbiting like so many moons. Everyone here at the Democratic National Convention, it seems, can't wait to trade a greeting, an air kiss or a little banter with Arianna Huffington, founder of the most popular blog in America. I confess I'm as charmed and amused by the beguiling Ms. H as anyone but also slightly queasy about whether her Huffington Post will ever offer original content and reporting that lives up to the hype and pretty packaging.

It seemed too delicious. Too exciting. Too good to be true. And that's because it was. Tacocopter, a faux Silicon Valley start-up, threw the Internet for a loop these last few days with a website that promised the delivery of tacos via unmanned drone helicopters that accepted orders from a smartphone app. That combination of the excitement of Terminator films with the flavor of the cherished Mexican meal and the efficiency of the...

AOL Inc. is planning to cut its workforce by about 20%, or more than 900 of the 5,000 employees it has on its payroll worldwide. The job cuts are part of a restructuring aimed at increasing revenue and reflect the integration of operations with the Huffington Post, said Graham James, an AOL spokesman. AOL's chief executive, Tim Armstrong, announced the planned job reductions Thursday in an e-mail to employees. In the U.S., about 200 jobs will be cut, most of them in AOL's offices in New York and Dulles, Va., James said.

It seemed too delicious. Too exciting. Too good to be true. And that's because it was. Tacocopter, a faux Silicon Valley start-up, threw the Internet for a loop these last few days with a website that promised the delivery of tacos via unmanned drone helicopters that accepted orders from a smartphone app. That combination of the excitement of Terminator films with the flavor of the cherished Mexican meal and the efficiency of the...

Andrew Breitbart, already an increasingly prominent player in the political and media influence game, never had a moment quite like the one on June 6, 2011. One of his websites, BigGovernment.com, had caused a sensation when it posted lewd photos of a man that appeared to be U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner , a firebrand liberal congressman from New York. Breitbart's move came after a suggestive photo of Weiner had been posted on the Democrat's Twitter account, which the congressman repeatedly said was the work of hackers, though he had not offered any evidence.

Should Facebook users get a taste of the company's initial public offering? More than a few say yes. The reasoning here is that because Facebook's more than 800 million users make the site what it is -- and provide all that personal data that allows Facebook to prosper -- they're entitled to participate in what's sure to be a very lucrative IPO. Dream on. We heard pretty much the same when AOL purchased Huffington Post for more...

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Friday: William Shatner is ending his time as Priceline spokesperson with a commercial that features the character's fiery death. ( Los Angeles Times ) "Star Wars: The Old Republic" may be the biggest entertainment production in history. ( Los Angeles Times ) Great news, kids! Geraldo is coming to the radio! ( Los Angeles Times ) How popular are Super Bowl ads? The ads are now getting teaser trailers. ( Los Angeles Times )

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Wednesday. 50 Cent tells his fans on Twitter that "I don't think I'm gonna live much longer. " ( Rap Up ) Meanwhile, Chris Brown kissed his new girlfriend on New Year's Eve and Rihanna has let loose with an angry tweet. Is this really going to play out in public? ( The Sun ) Taylor Swift will star in the film of "Les Miserables. " Surprise face! ( Huffington Post ) "Bridesmaids" picked up a PGA nomination and an ADG nomination.

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Tuesday. Van Halen is planning a new tour. And in case you're worried, yes, David Lee Roth is back with the group. ( Los Angeles Times ) Tom Cruise still has it: "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" was the big movie over the Christmas weekend. ( Los Angeles Times ) Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver spent Christmas together with their kids. Whaaaaa? ( CNN ) A fake People magazine cover touting Taylor Lautner's coming out of the closet fooled a lot of people, including Russell Simmons.

Nearly six years after she launched a "group blog" to let her big-name friends air their views, Arianna Huffington returned to Los Angeles Tuesday on a triumphal tour, after selling her website to AOL for $315 million. Hardly anyone viewed Huffington Post in 2005 as something that could become a major media player. It seemed to be more like an online salon, where Arianna's many rich and famous friends ? from Walter Cronkite to Norman Mailer, Nora Ephron and former U.S. Sen. Gary Hart ?

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Thursday. A Foo Fighters concert in New Zealand reportedly caused tremors at a level similar to volcanic activity. ( Hollywood Reporter ) "Hugo," "War Horse" and George Clooney landed Golden Globes nominations. "The Artist" leads with six. ( Los Angeles Times ) Howard Stern is "America's Got Talent's' newest judge. ( Los Angeles Times ) Thanks, but no thanks, "Biggest Loser": the Season 12 winner says he's "at risk" of gaining all that weight back.

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Tuesday. Amy Winehouse's dad is quoted as saying Lady Gaga "would be great" to play his daughter in a movie about her life. But another report quotes him as saying a movie won't happen. ( Mirror , Daily Mail ) The music industry executive injured in the Hollywood shooting last week has died. ( Los Angeles Times ) The song isn't so rosy for "Glee," which is seeing its ratings drop in its third season. ( Los Angeles Times )