Glenn Greenwald, the Guardian journalist, commentator and lawyer who worked with Edward Snowden to publish stunning details about the
In a statement, Greenwald, who is based in Brazil, wrote that his partnership with The Guardian has been "extremely fruitful and fulfilling." He added that "the decision to leave was not an easy one, but I was presented with a once-in-a-career dream journalistic opportunity that no journalist could possibly decline."
News of Greenwald's departure was first reported by BuzzFeed on Tuesday.
So what kind of venture is Greenwald leaving for? Little is known this point, though I wouldn't be surprised if Greenwald was on his way to set up an independent venture under his own name, à la Andrew Sullivan's The Dish. What else could lure Greenwald away from The Guardian, which gave him a wide-reaching platform and, more valuably, the protection of an established, multinational journalistic organization?
Omidyar, who has an estimated net worth of about $8.5 billion, is well-positioned to back Greenwald -- and not just because he has deep pockets. In recent years, the Washington area native has funded local news sites with an investigative bent, most notably the three-year-old site Honolulu Civil Beat and the now-defunct Backfence, a network of 13 neighborhood news sites in the Washington area.
The new venture is being funded by Omidyar specifically -- not (as we reported earlier) his philanthropic investment firm, Omidyar Network, which is co-operated by his wife Pamela.
UPDATE: Oct. 16, 12:43 p.m. ET In an interview with Jay Rosen at PressThink, Omidyar suggested that he is prepared to invest $250 million or more into Greenwald's new media venture. Omidyar also revealed that Greenwald, Poitras and Scahill had been planning to launch their own journalism outlet for some time.
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