How HuffPo became a star _ and why AOL wants it: Excellent analysis by AP

The Associates Press writes:
"The deal showcases the brutal environment for print newspaper companies in the iPad age. Unlike The New York Times, The Huffington Post doesn't have to pay for trucks to deliver the printed product. Nor does it have to pay hundreds of journalists to gather news the way big-city newspapers do. AOL is projecting a 30 percent profit margin for the site this year and expects to wring $20 million of cost savings by combining HuffPo with its own news sites. The combination will reach about 117 million unique visitors a month in the U.S., according to research firm comScore Inc.

"But by aggregating — or sponging, as some call it — other news providers' content, sites like The Huffington Post, critics say, are poisoning the news revenue model and threatening the Fourth Estate along the way. The Huffington Post only has about 100 staffers, 90 percent fewer than the New York Times. But HuffPo benefits from all the journalists working for mainstream outfits by posting their content and running ads next to it. In other words, the HuffPo's success hinges on monetizing content other publishers pay for."

Click on the title to read the whole story.

Google executive released from Egyptian custody, sparking outpouring of support from protesters.

Egyptian anti-government protesters have welcomed the release of a Google executive who disappeared in Cairo last month after playing a key role in helping demonstrators organise. Wael Ghonim (pictured) was released on Monday by Egyptian authorities, sparking a fast and explosive response from supporters, bloggers and pro-democracy activists on the internet. Ghonim's release came nearly two weeks after he was reported missing on January 28 during protests against Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.
"Freedom is a bless[ing] that deserves fighting for it," Ghonim, Google's head of marketing for the Middle East and North Africa, wrote in a message posted on his Twitter account shortly after his release.
He was seized in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, late last month as he joined tens of thousands of protesters in the city's Tahrir Square, the focal point of protests aimed at calling on Mubarak to step down from his 30-year-rule in Egypt.

AOL to buy The Huffington Post for $315 million

Online company AOL Inc. is buying online news hub The Huffington Post in a $315 million (U.S.) deal that represents a bold bet on the future of online news. The acquisition announced early Monday puts a high-profile exclamation mark on a series of acquisitions and strategic moves engineered by AOL CEO Tim Armstrong in an effort to reshape a fallen Internet icon. AOL was once the king of dial-up online access known for its ubiquitous CD-ROMs and “You’ve got mail” greeting in its inboxes. Perhaps just as important as picking up a news site and ranks as one of the top 10 current events and global news sites, AOL will be adding The Huffington Post co-founder and media star Arianna Huffington to its management team as part of the deal. After the acquisition closes later this year, Huffington will be put in charge of AOL’s growing array of content, which includes popular technology sites Endgadget and TechCrunch, local news sites Patch.com and online mapping service Mapquest.

Egyptian reporter shot in clashes dies, first journalist death in crisis

State-run newspaper Al-Ahram says an Egyptian reporter shot during clashes earlier this week has died of his wounds, the first reported journalist death in 11 days of turmoil surrounding Egypt's wave of anti-government protests. Al-Ahram says Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud, 36, was taking pictures of clashes on the streets from the balcony of his home, not far from central Tahrir Square when he was "shot by a sniper" four days ago. It says in a report on its website that he died Friday in the hospital. The paper says Mahmoud worked as a reporter for Al-Taawun, one of a number of newspapers put out by the Al-Ahram publishing house.

Iran bans state TV from teaching foreign recipes

A state-owned news website says Iran's broadcasting authority has banned Iranian TV channels from showing cooking programs that present recipes for foreign cuisine, The Associated Press reports. Jamejamonline reported late Saturday that the deputy head of Iran's state broadcasting company, Ali Darabi, announced the ban during a visit to one of the country's 30 state-run TV channels. Some cooking programs on Iranian stations present recipes for foreign cuisine, such as Italian and French. The ban is seen as part of a nationalistic campaign increasingly pushed by Iran's government in recent years. Pizza, pasta and Western fast foods like hamburgers and hot-dogs are popular in Iran, and Tehran boasts many restaurants that serve Western or Asian food.