Clearing Up The Clooney Question

By: Vaughn Ververs
Topics: Blog Buzz

Just a follow up to let you know the flap between actor George Clooney and blogger Arianna Huffington over something that was posted on the Huffington Post has a resolution of sorts. After some (including us) raised questions about Huffington's response to Clooney's complaints about a posting under his name, Arianna says: "Lesson learned":

I now realize that I made a big mistake in posting a blog without clearly identifying that the material in it didn't originate as a blog post but was pieced together from previous interviews.

I'm sorry I didn't see this earlier. But I see it now and here is what I'm going to do about it:

1. Going forward, any time the HuffPost uses repurposed material we will identify it as such and source where it originally appeared and link to it. (Thank you Jeff Jarvis)

2. Even though the point of providing George Clooney a sample blog was to show how it's done and encourage him to join the blogosphere, I will curb my enthusiasm and not do this in the future.

3. When I read something or hear something in an interview or have something said to me in person that I think is really important and should have as wide an audience as possible, I will put it in my own blog, becoming Boswell to all the Dr. Johnsons out there just as I did once with Arthur Schlesinger.

We've been doing this for ten months, and the learning curve has been enormous. Consider this a major lesson learned. I get it and have taken it to heart.

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by Dave_Newton March 20, 2006 2:41 PM EST: I guess I don't understand the purpose of this blog. I know there must be plenty of CBS steps and missteps to explain and elucidate. Who needs your Huffington reportage? Especially when it adds nothing to the story, not even a snarky comment...; Reply to this comment


by peterbaldwin-2009 March 20, 2006 2:38 PM EST: We should be more concerned with the crass National Guard ad on this blog, designed to attract screaming morons. It is insulting to the fine men and women from all walks of life who have joined the guard, and it will only adversely effect enlistment from anyone not at the bottom of the food chain. The last thing his army needs is more screaming yahoos. And this is from a former Screaming Eagle.; Reply to this comment