The Huffington Post Media Group Announces the 2012 Shadow Conventions

The Huffington Post Media Group announces the Shadow Conventions 2012– a powerful alternative to the major party conventions. The Huffington Post’s 2012 Shadow Conventions will run concurrently with the upcoming Republican National Convention and Democratic National Convention, but will follow a very different path.

The Huffington Post hopes to spark a national conversation on three urgent issues frozen out of the officially sanctioned debate: the corrupting influence of money in politics, the persistence of poverty in the midst of unprecedented prosperity and the disastrous war on drugs.

“Back in 2000, we held the original Shadow Conventions to put the spotlight on these three issues that will be largely ignored from the podium during both of the national conventions. Twelve years later, all three of them are worse than they were,” said Arianna Huffington, President and Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post Media Group. “So we’re doing it again — but this time, instead of gathering in Tampa and Charlotte, the conventions will be virtual – using the Huffington Post and HuffPost Live to bring these issues to the forefront and give Americans the chance to read about them and debate them in a comprehensive way.”

As part of the Huffington Post 2012 Shadow Conventions, the Huffington Post site will be “taken over” – devoting a day during each of the national conventions to focusing on one of the three issues. A wide array of HuffPost sections – from Politics to Green to Business to Divorce – will feature dedicated editorial coverage highlighting the effects that these issues have on the many areas of our lives.

HuffPost Live will devote a significant portion of its programming to that day’s issue, and feature high-profile guests and panels. The Huffington Post 2012 Shadow Conventions coverage schedule is as follows:

• Tuesday – (August 28th and September 4rd) The War On Drugs
• Wednesday – (August 29th and September 5th) Poverty and Job Creation
• Thursday – (August 30th and September 6th) The Influence of Money on Our Politics

Throughout the day, HuffPost Live’s team of host/producers will be joined by a broad range of activists, political leaders and celebrities, along with HuffPost community members, for interviews and panel discussions on various aspects of the core issues, hosted from the network’s studios in New York and Los Angeles – with many guests joining from around the country – and the world – via webcam, smartphone, or tablet.

“HuffPost Live will help resurrect the Shadow Conventions in a unique, highly social way,” said Roy Sekoff, President and Co-Creator of HuffPost Live, who worked with Arianna on the 2000 versions. “By putting a full-court press on these neglected issues – and bringing the community into the heart of the discussion – we can have a convention that’s unscripted, surprising, and serves as more than an over-produced, tightly controlled political commercial for the two parties. Hopefully it will spark a real conversation about issues that impact all of our lives.”

HuffPost Live’s 2012 Shadow Convention coverage will be available everywhere viewers can access HuffPost Live, online at Live.HuffingtonPost.com and through over-the-top (OTT) platforms.

Follow HuffPost Live on Facebook (Facebook.com/HuffPostLive) and on Twitter @HuffPostLive.

For more information on HuffPost Live, or for host and executive head shots, please visit: http://smp.businesswire.com/pages/huffpost-live-launch-media-resources