Tabloid Journalism at Huffington Post?

Well, I am now duly impressed. This is encouraging: the Huffington Post now has a section: "Tabloid Journalism." Whoa.

I once wrote a piece about an icon-- Whitney Houston, and featured how she was directly linked to Nelson Mandela and his release from prison.

Yes, that Whitney Houston.

Did you know that Whitney Houston was an anti-apartheid activist who began some freedom fighting activities in South Africa disguised as concerts where she sang about freedom? Did you know that  Houston's covert activism was one link in the long chain of events that led to Mandela's release from behind the barbed wire?

I wrote that story. It wasn't published. The editor gave no explanation or feedback. It was just... well, ignored. This was shortly after Houston's death and she was she was the manic topic d'jour so my piece was timely. I suspected it wasn't "sexy" enough or macabre enough. It was the truth. But truth often doesn't sell well; it likely wasn't tabloid enough.

So you may never learn that about Whitney because you may never get past the legacy of "overdose" and "drugs." It's because of things like "eyes on the page" and "hits" and market share. It's about the dismemberment of people for profit and distribution and demographics. Because the yellow newspapers want to get you the "sexy" news and the juicy stories, there's a lot you don't know. Ever wonder what that might be? Whitney is only the surface of something that is rattling underground.

Is the Huffington Post feeling the tremors? Do you suppose they are catching on? Are they finger-on-pulse watching trends and trending? Are they feeling the vibe?

America is tired. The world is tired. We are all filled up on it. We long for something....

else.

Some don't even know what it is... but they want somebody to show up with it.

The first "journalist," or "blog," or "blogger," and network that gets that message will have the lion's share of the market... in a heartbeat. (There's your smoking gun hidden clue: "heartbeat.")

Will it be the Huffington Post? I dunno, but let's stay tuned. Meanwhile... oh the irony.

"Tabloid Journalism" at Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/tabloid-journalism