Publication analysis
About the publication
Title: HuffPost (formerly called Huffington Post)
ISSN: N/A
Website: https://www.huffpost.com/
Purpose, objective, or mission: “At HuffPost, we report with empathy and put people at the heart of every story. We take a people-first approach in everything we report—be it news and politics or lifestyle and entertainment—and we cover real stories about real life. Regardless of who you are, where you live or what you believe, you can count on HuffPost to help you navigate what’s happening in the world and how it affects you. We consider the needs, passions and curiosity of our readers in all of our journalism. If something matters to our readers, it matters to us.”1
In 2012, HuffPost won a Pulitzer Prize for reporting on wounded veterans”.2
Target audience: A politically-engaged audience seeking the latest news in entertainment, politics, and world affairs.
Publisher: Verizon Media.3
Peer reviewed? No. Most articles posted on the site are in the form of blog posts.
Type: Civilian publication; online news site.
Medium: Online.
Content: A roundup of political, entertainment, and news from around the globe.
Of special interest to LIS writers, there’s a Books section under Entertainment, featuring articles and reviews by various bloggers, and the Libraries section featuring library-related news and articles. In 2012 a section titled Libraries in Crisis was created to examine the role of libraries in today’s society. The section’s first series was titled The Death Of The Public Library?, and it has been somewhat controversial among LIS professionals, with a Hack Library School post noting, “I understand that stories of library closures are much sexier than the latest controversies with Overdrive, but if we want to see the libraries as a national tradition continue, we need to step away from the extremism and start proving what we are capable of. Let’s see some library success stories on this page, too.”
Frequency of publication: Updated daily.
About the publication’s submission guidelines
Location of submission guidelines: https://www.huffpost.com/static/how-to-pitch-huffpost?section=us_opinion
Types of contributions accepted: “HuffPost is seeking to elevate writers from a wide range of backgrounds, including those who are BIPOC, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, and writers from other underrepresented communities.”4
The categories for submissions are Enterprise pieces, which are “original, unique, reported stories,”5 Personal pieces, which are “original, authentic, compelling, and told from the first person,”6 and Life pieces which are pieces that serve as a “no-BS guide to modern parenting, wellness, food, money, work, relationships, and more.”7
Submission and review process: “Pitches should include a working headline, two or three paragraphs that outline why you think the story matters, with some indication of how you plan to report and tell the story (e.g. sources, key characters or narrative event). Also tell us a little about who you are and why you’re the right person to write this story, and please indicate whether your pitch is timely.”8
See “How to Pitch to HuffPost” for detailed descriptions, requirements, and tips.
Editorial tone: Informal and informational at the same time.
Style guide used: None referenced.
Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors
HuffPost is an excellent resource for librarians to reach a wide-ranging global and local audience with news from the LIS world. The Libraries section would be a great place to discuss library efforts and updates, technological and otherwise, and news from the LIS sector, with a readership who is truly interested. HuffPost would also be a good place to suggest and write about books for review.
Audience analysis
About the publication’s readers
Publication circulation: No circulation information provided.
Audience location and language or cultural considerations: Based out of the US, the site has local editions such as HuffPost San Francisco and Chicago; as well as international versions covering Canada, France, Italy, Spain and the UK.9 The US version is written in American English; culturally the site is considered a left-leaning publication, with special attention to U.S. political and entertainment news.
Reader characteristics: HuffPost was created in 2005 and became known as a liberal website for commentary/and alternative to more right-wing sites such as the Drudge Report & Fox News. Although founder/creator Arianna Huffington is careful to note that the site does not consciously lean in either party direction, the site has a more left-leaning feel.10
Knowledge of LIS subject matter: Although readers are educated and HuffPost has a special library section, this site is more informal information and entertainment, not really the place for LIS jargon. If submitting a query or blog for the Books/Library section, the focus is more on specific voice or activity, not the formal academic jargon commonly found in LIS publications.
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
Readers are interested in what’s going on with US libraries, and in discussing the most recent books and book news. While articles are not scholarly in tone, this site would most likely welcome posts written by LIS students as long as the topic is interesting and appealing to HuffPost readers.
Last updated: September 29, 2020
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