Arianna Huffington Turned Down Lots of Money Just to Be at AOL
In your questionable Wednesday media column: Arianna Huffington knows how to pick 'em, buyouts at Newsweek, Whoopi gives America's best newspaper her blessing, Time magazine revamps, and Rolling Stone outsources its cover.
- Oh look at what Arianna Huffington is saying now: she could have gotten more than $315 million for her website, but she took the lower price so she could be at "the best home." Punchline: AOL. Heh.
- Whoopi Goldberg has apologized to the New York Times for saying that the New York Times did shoddy reporting about a subject related to Whoopi Goldberg. Thus ends the greatest journalism crisis of our times.
- Hear that? It's the sound of a shoe dropping, at Tina Brown's NewsBeast. Thirty employees who aren't wanted in the new Tina Brown era were offered buyouts there today. The union chief says "less than 10" will take it so... layoffs, ahoy.
- Time magazine is coming out with a "revamp!" Which mostly means more "arts and culture" coverage, which usually means, in real world terms, more pop culture coverage. Just what the world needs! Watch out, Tina Brown's Newsweek! Pop culture wars are coming to America's "news" magazines! Huzzah!
- Rolling Stone is now choosing a band for its cover based on public voting in a contest sponsored by Garnier Fructis and announced on the Jimmy Fallon Show. They call this "growing our cover organically." We'd call it a farce, or a tragedy, or the fall of a once-great blah blah blah... but hey, Justin Bieber's on the cover this month. So whatever.
- Erstwhile Deadspin contributor Katie Baker has been hired to write for famous sports guy Bill Simmons' new editorial project. There's a reason to read that!
[Photo via Getty]