Hard-Hitting News Site The Contributor Launches to Counter Tidal Wave of Celebrity Gossip

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Sept. 24, 2013 - PRLog -- NEW YORK – TheContributor.com, a new online news site dedicated to hard-hitting stories stemming the daily barrage of fluff and celebrity gossip, is going live today following a successful beta testing which attracted more than two million visitors this summer.

The site has been dubbed the anti-Huffington Post because it’s refreshingly "Kardashian-free." And, uniquely, The Contributor is committed to paying the people who write for and syndicate to the site through an innovative revenue-sharing formula.

“Like everyone else, we are tired of being pulled into stories about celebrity showdowns, meltdowns and put downs,” said Tina Dupuy, the site’s editor-in-chief. “Our mission is to amplify stories that affect our daily lives, our public policy and the welfare of our communities, all while paying content creators."

“People want more information and less fluff. All the studies show this. We’re here to fill the void.”

The Contributor has been in beta since late last August providing fresh, edgy coverage of everything from city council policy battles to the global crisis over Syria. The site boasts original articles and video from over 150 of the country's best blogs spanning 35 states.

Dupuy, the outspoken syndicated columnist and former managing editor of the political website Crooks & Liars, also sees an opportunity to include economically diverse voices in the news through the simple – if by now deeply unfashionable -- mechanism of paying journalists for their work. In July, TheContributor.com sent its first revenue-sharing check to Sam Seder of The Majority Report.  With their official launch, this idea's momentum -- and the accompanying writer profits -- will surge.

Dupuy is well-known for having waged a successful YouTube campaign against The Tampa Tribune when the paper ran her column without payment. She made a video asking for $75, the standard rate for that content, and it went viral. The Tribune then paid her for her work.

The Contributor is being backed by Warecorp, a Minneapolis-based software services company committed to the concept of a non-tabloid news site that pays for its content.

“It’s a meaningful media brand with a distinct voice that’s currently not out there,” says TheContributor.com publisher and Warecorp CEO, Chris Dykstra. “TheContributor.com springs from our passion to use our portfolio of businesses to invest in better civic storytelling.”