Guardian recruits writers to new online blog
19th March, 2006
The Guardian newspaper has signed up a plethora of British Asian writers and thinkers for a new super-blog on their website.Titled 'Comment is Free', the online project is modelled on the increasingly popular blog format. It was launched last week.
The AIM sister magazine Pickled Politics is also modelled as a blog.
The Guardian has recruited over 200 writers for the project. These include writer Ziauddin Sardar, Fabian society secretary-general Sunder Katwala, writer Tariq Ali, AIM editor Sunny Hundal, Q News magazine editor Fareena Alam, political activist Salma Yaqoob and Indian novelist Pankaj Mishra.
Comment is Free's editor Georgina Henry, also the newspaper's deputy editor, said at launch: "It will incorporate all the regular Guardian and Observer main commentators, many blogging for the first time, who will be joined by a host of outside contributors - politicians, academics, writers, scientists, activists and of course existing bloggers to debate, argue and occasionally agree on the issues of the day."
She added: "Why are we launching it now? Because it's obvious to us that our major competition for opinion and debate is moving online, and unless we move with it, we're failing our journalists and future generations of readers."
Other writers include the Guardian's own columnists such as Jonathan Freedland, Madeleine Bunting, Gary Younge, Polly Toynbee and George Monbiot. Outside the newspaper it has also recruited George Galloway MP, Palestinian journalist Laila El-Haddad, writer Germaine Greer, lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell.
A continually expanding list is here.
The Guardian project takes inspiration from the American celebrity blog Huffington Post which has quickly risen to prominence since launch in May last year. It features an array of well known American commentators and celebrities writing about current affairs and culture.
There are an estimated 30 million blogs on the internet with a new one being launched every second according to recent estimates. The term 'blog' has come to have a wider meaning with increasing popularity.
It usually refers to a website where posts or articles appear in reverse chronological order (last on top) and are usually made in a short conversational manner. Most popular blogs revolve around specific issues such as technology, politics, celebrity news, or popular culture.
