WP Engine has bought out WP Daily. Oh, and they’ve added the remains – the gallons of news articles, blog posts and other almost-mothballed pieces of information – to a new publication called Torque, heroically branded as ‘WordPress News Core’ and which they themselves are publishing.
So, finally, the mystery over the demise of the much loved daily news site has come to an end. WP Engine, the managed WordPress hosting company, has gallantly decided not only to ‘resurrect its legacy’ by re-directing the site’s URL to the brand new Torque, but to put the name up in lights in the subheading: ‘featuring WordPress community experts and the WP Daily archives’.
On Friday, Torque’s new editor, Michelle Oznowicz, posted a letter announcing the launch of the site. What was made especially clear was Oznowicz’s desire for Torque to be independent, despite its close ties to publisher WP Engine: ‘I was brought on from the outside in order to spearhead and manage an autonomous publication, not to promote a brand,’ says Oznowicz, ‘Torque will not shy away from controversy’.
The news of the acquisition adds to the on-going debate over WordPress news sites and their ability to survive without the support of a larger company and adds question to the side line debate over the integrity of WordPress news sites in general.
Michelle Oznowicz and WP engine both remain adamant that the site will retain a high level of editorial independence.