Huffington Post goes to J school

The Huffington Post, a Web site that hosts political blogs, is not content with just commenting on the news. Now it's going to be writing news as well.

The site has announced it will begin original reporting with coverage of Congress and the 2008 presidential campaign. Founder Arianna Huffington has hired a former Newsweek reporter, and more reporting hires are expected. Softbank Capital invested $5 million in the site earlier this year.

"Now is the time to generate our own original content," Huffington told the New York Times. "It was always our intention, once we had the money, to hire people to do reporting."

Blog community response:

"Note, too, that it will soon be more difficult to tell the difference between old and new, as blogs and reporting and reporters blog. It's all news."
--Buzz Machine

"The Huffington Post announces that it is hiring a political editor and will start reporting with all that brings: deadlines, expense accounts, and salaries. It's the next step for HuffPo and the blogosphere, to add more original reporting as it becomes worthwhile to do so."
--Free Press

"The Huffington Post blog is actually going to send reporters out to cover the U.S. Congress and will gear up for the 2008 presidential campaign. Question: Will their reporters wear pyjamas?"
--Bill Doskoch: Media, BPS*, Film, Minutiae