Scheer, Kaufman launch new 'anti-blog' news site

"Integrity" will be the first and foremost criterion for the newly launched Truthdig.com, an online news magazine that editor in chief Robert Scheer described as "anti-blog."

Scheer, a clinical professor with USC's Annenberg School for Communication and former editor of Online Journalism Review, said the current World Wide Web is a "food-fight" and claimed "people are suspicious of the Internet ... due to the lack of trust."

After an entire year of preparation with a handful of staff, Scheer and the site's publisher -- Los Angeles entrepreuneur and reporter Zuade Kaufman -- have unveiled Truthdig today.

"There is truth for any given subject. But you have to dig for it," Scheer said.

Scheer described his position as editor as "turning strong writers to dig leaders, but not controlling the direction of the digs."

The site also adheres to its archeological dig theme with sections such as Uncovered, which presents the most important issues of the day; Digs, which unveils weeks of investigations to uncover underlying truths; and Scheer’s weekly column Ear to the Ground, which covers what’s hot and happening anywhere around the globe.

Scheer said he hopes his reputation as a reporter and columnist with 30 years of journalism experience will help successfully launch the site. He said he hopes to attract about 30,000 viewers upon first launching Truthdig and that the quality of the stories will attract his goal of 70,000-80,000 viewers after the first year.

Scheer said he plans on advertising Truthdig where he regularly appears -- on KCRW's "Left, Right & Center" and his new Wednesday column at the San Francisco Chronicle.

"I don’t want to oversell [the website]. I want it to be content rich. With good will, good context, word of mouth will [advertise]," Scheer said.

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