Huffington, a native of Greece and former conservative, who launched the Huffington Post in 2005 has become a central figure in the "New Media" revolution, a staple on the political talk-shows and was named last year as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People.

It has been empowering, she said, to have a platform that can reach millions and "break through and shape debate," and to be able to share the platform with other voices that might otherwise not be heard.

But those who view newsgathering as a dichotomy between the new Internet media and the dusty old newspapers of the past are approaching it the wrong way, she said.

"This whole debate of, 'Is it going to be the traditional media or is it going to be the new media?' is very obsolete. 'Either/Or' is not what is going to happen. It's going to be both," she said Friday.

"We see what we're doing as taking the best of the traditional media and incorporating it. We don't see what we're doing as a rejection of the traditional media," she said.

Huffington will be speaking on "The Future of Independent Journalism in the United States" this evening at Rowland Hall-St. Mark's.

She said her approach to news rejects "the false idea of objectivity." In some cases, she said, traditional media presents multiple viewpoints as being equal, even if one has more merit - she cites coverage of global warming and the run-up to the Iraq war as two prime examples.

"In the instances where there is certifiable truth we are not agnostic, and in instances where there isn't we present multiple points of view," she said.

Huffington and her commentators also condemned the Bush administration for gutting mine safety oversight, criticized Mine Safety and Health Administration head Richard Stickler and scolded the media for its shallow coverage of the Crandall Canyon disaster.

The challenge now is keeping the spotlight on the story so people are held accountable and changes made, she said.

The Huffington Post employs five reporters, but thrives mainly by compiling links to other news stories and its high-profile stable of commentators ranging from John Kerry to John Cusack. Its new "Living Now" section focuses on health, community service and spiritual awareness.

Huffington said she is not a partisan, but she is dismayed when she sees Republican presidential candidates who question evolution and compete to be "more pro-torture." She predicts that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who ran the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah, will be the Republican presidential nominee.

"I don't think Giuliani will wear well, Thompson is already becoming less and less relevant, and I think Romney has the staying power, and I don't think his religion is going to be the factor people think it is," she said.

And if a Democrat wins the White House in 2008, Huffington doesn't see her well of material drying up.

"There are certain endemic failures of the system that are not going to go away if you have a Democrat in the White House," she said.