Day: 2/7/2011

On AOL Acquiring Huffington Post

Posted by on February 7, 2011 at 5:22 pm. 5 Comments :

The announcement last night that Huffington Post is being bought by AOL has already generated a cyber-boatload of analysis, criticism, and speculation – mostly speculation.

I have long had an ambivalent view of HuffPo. While it gives opportunities to some progressives voices who are often shut out of the broader media, it also hosts some reactionary conservatives whose views are unproductive and dishonest. They have also taken a lot of heat for their gossipy celebrity content which I simply ignore.

AOL, although independent from TimeWarner for a little over a year, is still a giant corporation with many of the same principals and shareholders as prior to the separation. And therein lies my pessimism about the future of the HuffPo/AOL alliance.

The last thing independent media needs is more consolidation. By forming ever larger organizations, they fall into the same traps that Big Media always face. Their business mission ends up suppressing whatever aspirations they have for incisive journalism. They pander to advertisers and seek out stories that titillate rather than educate.

Arianna Huffington is predictably excited about the new arrangement. Why wouldn’t she be? The deal puts a value of over $300 million on her six year old venture. And she will become the head of all of AOL’s media properties. But she should be careful. She is also going to have a board of directors to which she will have to answer. And the obligation to appeal to a much broader audience could result in a dilution of any personality. Like other big news enterprises, she will have to cater to the lowest common denominator.

That’s why independence in the media is so precious. It allows for diversity of opinion and is the single best way to produce reporting that challenges the status quo, rattles societies gatekeepers, and enhances accountability. Those are the things we lose as media enterprises get more bloated and reliant on corporate infrastructure.

The combined AOL/HuffPo is still not as big as Fox or Comcast/NBC, and if they struggle mightily they may be able retain some independent identity. But on the whole this is not a promising development, and it is contrary to the direction that media should be heading.

Military Charity Event Featuring Sarah Palin Goes Bust

Posted by on February 7, 2011 at 10:02 am. 4 Comments :

Sarah PalinSarah Palin has spent most of the past two years trying to polish her credentials as a super-patriot and portray herself as a supporter of American ideals and, especially, soldiers and veterans. But her popularity (or lack thereof) outside of the Tea Party is increasingly a source of embarrassment.

Last month the Sharon K. Pacheco Foundation celebrated their booking of Palin to headline their fundraising gala. However, the foundation just announced that the event has been canceled. They wrote in a Facebook post that…

“Due to an onslaught of personal attacks against Governor Palin and others associated with her appearance, it is with deep sadness and disappointment that, in the best interest of all, we cancel the event for safety concerns.”

On the surface that would seem to be an unfortunate circumstance that reflects poorly on Palin’s opponents. But further exploration of the facts suggests a somewhat different reason for the event’s failure.

First of all, the foundation’s post also noted that “no direct threats have been made against anyone,” and that the safety concerns arose “despite the call for civility in America,” in the aftermath of the shootings in Tucson. That’s ironic in that Palin was a critic of such calls for civility and regarded them as an attack on her and her right to free speech.

More significantly, the Denver Post reports that tickets for the event were not exactly in demand. They went on sale in January for $185.00. Two weeks later a $15.00 discount was offered. Last week the price was cut in half. Apparently Palin isn’t the draw she thinks she is. It is not known if Palin was to receive her customary $100,000.00 speaking fee, but it is clear that the foundation was struggling to fill seats.

The Post also noted that there is an NBC/Politico sponsored GOP primary debate on May 2, the same day as the charity gala. Palin has not committed to participate in the debate (nor has anyone else), and she hasn’t even declared her candidacy. But she may have wanted to keep her calendar open, just in case.

Perhaps as a result of this affair, the media will start to represent Palin’s public profile more realistically. If she can’t sell tickets to a military charity, where is her support? Why is she still regarded by the press as a significant political figure? She routinely ranks near the bottom of GOP primary polls, and her favorability is in the gutter. Her canceled reality program on The Learning Channel lost half its viewers over its brief eight week run.

The truth is that she was a has-been before she began. She quit the only important job she ever held half way through. She was never taken seriously, even by her own handlers during the 2008 campaign. Her celebrity is akin to that of Kim Kardashian’s, and if there is a place for her in American culture, it’s on TMZ.