Liberal alternative to Drudge launches...

Two Oberlin College graduates have teamed up to create a vitally needed resource on the web: Drudge for liberals.

The site, titled The Raw Story (http://www.rawstory.com), launched just two weeks ago and has already been at the vanguard of breaking news. It broke a story linking the CIA and a GOP thinktank to the rebellion in Haiti. It took a critical look at the situation on the ground in Kirkuk, a city riven by an ethnic divide that roils Iraqi society-at-large, and currently carries an exclusive interview with Oscar-nominated Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo.

Lately, they’ve been at the forefront of U.S. media in presenting thorough coverage of a raft of scandals trailing British PM Tony Blair.

And it proved it wasn't simply a liberally slanted outlet, by providing an insightful story into the background of Kerry's alleged 'war hero' status in Vietnam.

"It's really been an eye-opening experience," says John Byrne, one of the founders of the site. "In only three weeks we have two thousand people visiting the site from 62 different countries, and we've received a flood of email from those saying our site is desperately needed."

Byrne said he realized he was truly fed up when Drudge broke unsubstantiated rumors about a Kerry affair.

"It's time that someone stood up to Drudge," he remarked.

While relying largely on outside media outlets for stories (the site links to stories around the world), they've also managed to serve up a helping of fresh exclusive content. Editorials have flown in from London, San Francisco and Jerusalem. Topics range from Generation X, to international outsourcing to a S&M dungeon on Valentine's day.

"I can't believe how many people have volunteered to write," says Jesse Kanson-Benanav, another cofounder. "Though we haven't got the money to pay people right now, we've seen a tremendous amount of support simply in submissions."

Kanson-Benanav says Raw Story tries to find a balance between humor and gravitas. Though many of the stories are politically focused, others simply touch upon odd moments in the news.

"There's always something for everyone," he says.
Updated constantly, the site makes its home on the web at http://www.rawstory.com.