If you can buy the Washington Post, why not do real journalism?

[Childlike Empress]

When it was leaked (what else) on Tuesday that Glenn Greenwald will leave The Guardian for a "once-in-a-career dream journalistic opportunity" it was not yet clear what that opportunity might be, but as of today we know that he, Laura Poitras and Jeremy Scahill will help create an all new and fancy investigative journalism outlet with a budget of no less than $250 million!

As it happened, Pierre Omidyar^WP, the +$8 billion worth founder of eBay was one of the people who received an offer to buy the Washington Post, that was finally taken by Jeff Bezos who lately bought the rag for said $250 million. Omidyar, who has already founded a smaller journalistic outlet, explains in a statement published yesterday:

[...] That process got me thinking about what kind of social impact could be created if a similar investment was made in something entirely new, built from the ground up. Something that I would be personally and directly involved in outside of my other efforts as a philanthropist.

I developed an interest in supporting independent journalists in a way that leverages their work to the greatest extent possible, all in support of the public interest. And, I want to find ways to convert mainstream readers into engaged citizens. I think there’s more that can be done in this space, and I’m eager to explore the possibilities. [...]

As part of my learning process, I recently reached out to Glenn Greenwald to find out what journalists like him need to do their jobs well. As it turns out, he and his colleagues Laura Poitras and Jeremy Scahill, were already on a path to create an online space to support independent journalists. We had a lot of overlap in terms of our ideas, and decided to join forces. [...]

As he tells Jay Rosen in an interview:

[...] “I have always been of the opinion that the right kind of journalism is a critical part of our democracy.” He said he had watched closely over the last 15 years as the business model in journalism collapsed but he had not “found a way to engage directly.” But then when the idea of buying the Washington Post came up he started to think about it more seriously. “It brings together some of my interests in civic engagement and building conversations and of course technology, but in a very creative way.”

A final factor. His “rising concern about press freedoms in the United States and around the world.” The U.S. has the First Amendment. When the freedom to practice hard-hitting investigative journalism comes under threat here, he said, that’s not only a problem for our democracy but for the chances that democracy can work anywhere. [The new company] will be designed to withstand that threat. [...]

That's hyper-awesome and exactly what US journalism needs. I can think of several additional investigative journalists on the spot, for example Russ Baker, who try it on their own but seriously struggle to reach a significant audience for a change. So I couldn't agree more with the conclusion Ryan Chittum draws in this informative piece on the development:

This is the best news journalism has seen in a long, long time. Here’s hoping this remarkable pairing realizes its full potential.

 

[Childlike Empress]

Scahill today:

 

[Childlike Empress]

Nobody's interested in this? Not even a hissy by some usual suspect pointing out that the guy is French AND Iranian?

If you don't understand why this is a big deal, read this explanation - in the Washington Post.

 

[VanillaCone]

OK, I'll bite.

Any filthy-rich philanthropist who wants to throw a lot of money at investigative journalism certainly has my support, as long as there are no ideological strings attached.

I happen to work for a billionaire-philanthropist-funded newspaper in the U.S., and it certainly is nice to have that feeling of job security. I still think it's important for media organizations to be self-sustaining if they want to survive over the long term, however.

 

[Childlike Empress]

OK, I'll bite.

Any filthy-rich philanthropist who wants to throw a lot of money at investigative journalism certainly has my support, as long as there are no ideological strings attached.

I happen to work for a billionaire-philanthropist-funded newspaper in the U.S., and it certainly is nice to have that feeling of job security. I still think it's important for media organizations to be self-sustaining if they want to survive over the long term, however.

Those are valid concerns but this is not another Arianna Huffington sucking the lifeblood out of talented nobodies, this sounds like funding and giving a common platform to already established journalists who can't place their work in the usual outlets/don't have to resources to finance larger projects in the first place.

Both Scahill and Greenwald aren't guys you just throw some money at and hire. For someone like Greenwald working for The Guardian is already one of the best positions imaginable in the current media landscape, so there must be something different about this, and Omidyar seems like the guy who doesn't want to "run it" from the top. How that can be sustainable in the long run ... we'll see. He says all revenue will flow back into the project, no profit for him. If he would have liked to do the usual stuff, he could have bought the WP.

So I'm very optimistic that this isn't just a trick to get Greenwald to stop writing for The Guardian, which is under pressure right now from the more degenerated elements in the UK political class, and keep him and others distracted with false promises.

 

[Childlike Empress]

And there it is: The mother ship is called First Look Media, and today their first outlet "The Intercept" around the Greenwald-Scahill-Poitras core team went online with a "nice" story about mass murderer Obama and how his henchmen select the often innocent targets: The NSA’s Secret Role in the U.S. Assassination Program

Greenwald and Scahill on Democracy Now! today

Good luck!

 

[The Central Scrutinizer]

 

[ABC10]

The Grahams sold the WP cause almost no one is buying it and their left slant.

 

[KoihimeNakamura]

WP isn't left slanted.

 

[KoihimeNakamura]

And there it is: The mother ship is called First Look Media, and today their first outlet "The Intercept" around the Greenwald-Scahill-Poitras core team went online with a "nice" story about mass murderer Obama and how his henchmen select the often innocent targets: The NSA’s Secret Role in the U.S. Assassination Program

Greenwald and Scahill on Democracy Now! today

Good luck!

... So, for the rest of us, crazytown. I could go on, but "mass murderer" causes you to lose credibility really quickly.

This is before we even get into the fact that both you and the writer overstate their case.

 

[Childlike Empress]

I could go on, but "mass murderer" causes you to lose credibility really quickly.

I don't care one bit about "credibility" with people living in "patriotic" delusions. I like to use appropriate words and "mass murderer" is an appropriate word for the guy who claims to have the right to decide - and does so every week - about the death of any human on this planet, including 16-year old yankistani citizens (which tends to make a difference for mentioned people living in "patriotic" delusions, but not in reality), without even as much as a kangaroo court.

What do you think about the new outlet? Any expectations? Think there's a need for it?

 

[catsmate]

WP isn't left slanted.

It might be, by his standards.

 

[Jekyll's Guest]

I am thrilled at the prospect of actual journalism being available in at least one source.

I am concerned that it could end up another agenda focused rag, albeit a socially progressive one. Bias is bias, although the ramifications for society from that bias may vary.

Considering how badly olde timee journalism hemorrhages money, how long before this venture fails?

In general I'm cautiously optimistic.