When everything's said and done, IMHO, the "Snowden/NSA" story is as much about freedom of the press as it is about personal rights to privacy and the rise of our surveillance state. For a variety of reasons (too many to get into in this post, and because they run across the entire spectrum of my life--from political to professional to personal reasons--over the past 35 years), I'm really pleased to hear that Glenn Greenwald's teaming up with someone whom I respect (even though I don't agree with 100% of his political views) more than just about anyone else that's ever set foot in Silicon Valley: Pierre Omidyar ...
Exclusive: Greenwald exits Guardian for new Omidyar media venture
By Mark Hosenball
Reuters
WASHINGTON | Tue Oct 15, 2013 7:06pm EDT
(Reuters) - Glenn Greenwald, who has made headlines around the world with his reporting on U.S. electronic surveillance programs, is leaving the Guardian newspaper to join a new media venture funded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, according to people familiar with the matter.
Greenwald, who is based in Brazil and was among the first to report information provided by one-time U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden, wrote in a blog post on Tuesday that he was presented with a "once-in-a-career dream journalistic opportunity" that he could not pass up.
He did not reveal any specifics of the new media venture but said details would be announced soon. Greenwald did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Two sources familiar with the new venture said the financial backer was Omidyar….
The story continues on to note that the French-born, Iranian-American Omidyar
“…also founded the Democracy Fund to support 'social entrepreneurs working to ensure that our political system is responsive to the public,' according to its website…”
Reuters also reports that Omidyar’s made public statements to the effect that he’s a staunch supporter of press freedom and citizens’ rights to privacy.
UPDATE: A big h/t to Kossack philipmerrill for noting in the comments that the WaPo's now reporting documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras and journalist Jeremy Scahill are also being mentioned as potential hires for Omidyar's new media business. (WaPo excerpt on this has been added, farther down the page.)
Here’s the NY Times, this morning…
Reporter Tied to Snowden Leaks to Leave Guardian
By LESLIE KAUFMAN and DAVID CARR
New York Times
October 16, 2013
Glenn Greenwald, the lawyer and writer who provided the biggest journalistic disclosure of the year when he published revelations from Edward J. Snowden about government surveillance, said on Tuesday that he would be leaving The Guardian, the British daily, for a new journalistic venture.
In a statement on his Web site, Mr. Greenwald did not say where he was going. “I was presented with a once-in-a-career dream journalistic opportunity that no journalist could possibly decline,” Mr. Greenwald wrote on his blog Tuesday evening.
Mr. Greenwald said he declined to provide details about his next job because the news had leaked to the media outlet BuzzFeed “before we were prepared to announce it,” adding that the venture would “be unveiled very shortly.”
In a phone interview late Tuesday, he said that “one of the best parts of this is participating in building a media organization from scratch. I can shape its mission, how it functions, what its objectives are and most importantly, help to choose the people I am working with.”
He said the site would not be driven by a particular political ideology, but added that “setting out to pursue adversarial, accountability journalism is a kind of ideology.”…
This morning's WaPo is reporting that documentary filmmaker and Greenwald colleague
Laura Poitras, along with
Nation magazine national security reporter
Jeremy Scahill, are also being "sought to hire" by Omidyar's new media venture...
Investigative journalist Glenn Greenwald to leave Britain’s Guardian newspaper
By Paul Farhi
Washington Post
October 16, 2013
Glenn Greenwald, the blogger and journalist who has revealed key details about the National Security Agency’s massive surveillance program, is leaving Britain’s Guardian newspaper to join a new news venture backed by eBay founder and philanthropist Pierre Omidyar.
The new, as-yet-unnamed news site has also sought to hire Laura Poitras, the documentary filmmaker who was instrumental in linking former NSA contractor Edward Snowden to Greenwald and Barton Gellman of The Washington Post. Another potential hire is Jeremy Scahill, national security reporter of the Nation magazine, said a person familiar with the venture…
This could get really interesting...
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