Why is HuffPost anymore?
Shredding the internet, indeed
Jeffrey Denny
“Now is not the time to cower or capitulate, and HuffPost is doing neither,” the media company says.
They add, “As we turn 20 this year, our mission is clearer than ever: We won’t back down when it comes to providing free and impartial journalism.”
HuffPost isn’t like big corporate media. It doesn’t cave to Trump, like ABC, CBS, and The Washington Post do. It proudly leans progressive to serve America’s working class by putting real reporting above the almighty dollar. Just like Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens, Upton Sinclair, and I.F. Stone.
Right? Let’s follow the money:
AOL paid millionaire founder Arianna Huffington $315 million for HuffPost in 2011. Verizon acquired HuffPost when it bought AOL for $4.4 billion. BuzzFeed, Inc., a “tech-powered, diversified media company that reaches hundreds of millions globally through its cross-platform news and entertainment network,” bought HuffPost in a stock deal, dollar amount undisclosed.
BuzzFeed stock trades on the Nasdaq just like Meta, Google, Apple, Tesla, and even Pepsi. Its valuation peaked at $1.7 billion when NBCUniversal injected $200 million. Comcast also bought a stake.
While losing money fist over hand, BuzzFeed is still worth $85 million. Co-founder and CEO Jonah Peretti was reportedly worth $250 million two years ago, but given HuffPost’s business woes, maybe only $15 million now. He may still live in the $5.2 million home he bought in the affluent Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, featuring an infinity pool and stunning views of the LA hills and skyline. Libs are allowed to be rich from pandering to libs.
And now HuffPost is asking for money.
“In an era of misinformation and partisan spin, independent journalism has never been more essential. Support HuffPost and help us continue to deliver the in-depth reporting and fearless investigations our readers rely on.”
To illustrate that kind of groundbreaking Woodward-Bernstein journalism, over the past week, the hard-bitten, unflinching HuffPost reporters doggedly covered the corporate media’s coverage of the massive, deadly Sydney Sweeney Jean-Geney scandal from their corporate offices in midtown Manhattan or their costly homes, opinionating from their news feeds. Here’s what they dug up:
‘Daily Show’ Calls ‘Bulls**t’ On Right-Wing Defense Of Sydney Sweeney Ad
Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle Ad Is Disturbing — And Distracting You From Something Worse
Doja Cat Trolls Sydney Sweeney’s Controversial American Eagle Ad In Viral Video
The Internet Shreds The White House For Defending Sydney Sweeney’s Controversial American Eagle Ad
Ted Cruz Is Weirdly Invested In The Backlash To Sydney Sweeney’s Jeans Ad
Donald Trump Jr. Swoons Over Dad In Freaky AI Parody Of Sydney Sweeney American Eagle Ad
Fans Are Confused Over Sydney Sweeney’s New American Eagle Ads
Fox News Has Used This ‘Convenient Distraction’ To Depart From Epstein Coverage: Report
Stephen Colbert Trolls ‘Fart Machine’ Trump After Don Jr.’s Uncomfortable Compliment
Sydney Sweeney Looks Unrecognizable 30 Pounds Heavier As Boxer Christy Martin In Sports Biopic
The number of HuffPost Sweeney posts that week rivals its coverage of the Gaza crisis.
And HuffPost bravely didn’t care if its Sweeney clickbait irked the actor’s publicist, jeans maker American Eagle, and the studio and producers of her upcoming Ron Howard thriller, “Eden.” The internet is politely suggesting HuffPost is in cahoots, but in this case, the internet is dead wrong.
Covering the Sweeney beat must have taken seasoned HuffPost Gen Z journalists off the top beat: Selflessly serving as Professor Henry Higgins, teaching “guttersnipe” Eliza Doolittles how to speak, i.e., condescendingly schooling the American proletariat on what to say or not say. Even if mostly preaching to the converted.
Like, what not to say when your partner is having a bad day, or to someone angry, grieving, traveling abroad, a teenager, infertile, mentally ill, fat, a new or expectant parent, or to parents generally. A
And never say, Have you met anyone special yet? When is your baby due? Are you okay? Oh my goodness! I didn’t recognize you! I shouldn’t say this, but….
Also, of course, white people need to quit saying racist things such as, “Wouldn’t it be great to live during [insert any era during which the person you’re talking to couldn’t vote or own property]?” So, for instance, I shouldn’t ask a descendant of an Italian scullery maid, “Wouldn’t it be great to live during the Renaissance?”
Message from HuffPost: It’s safest to stifle, like Archie Bunker told Edith Bunker, which Gen Z won’t get because progressive Norman Lear happened before they were born.
Why pick on HuffPost?
Surely it has great journalists. HuffPost won a Pulitzer in 2012. It just won three 2025 LA Press Club Journalism Awards.
But HuffPost undermines the real journalism it touts by not questioning its money-grubbing clickbait. If it wants to draw readers and revenues with “free and impartial journalism,” it needs to cop to its corporate media capitalism instead of pretending to be morally superior for brand value and market share. You’re not real journalism if your audience cares more about Sydney Sweeney than Gaza.
Jeffrey Denny is a Washington writer.
