Omidyar
says decision to set up news organisation fuelled by 'concern about press
freedoms in the US and around the world'
theguardian.com,
Dominic Rushe, Wednesday 16 October 2013
 |
| Pierre Omidyar said he hoped the project would promote 'independent journalists with expertise, and a voice and a following'. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images |
Pierre
Omidyar, the founder of eBay, has revealed more details of the media
organization he is creating with journalist Glenn Greenwald.
Greenwald announced on Tuesday that he was leaving the Guardian, where he has broken a
series of stories on the National Security Agency, based on documents from
whistleblower Edward Snowden.
In an
interview with Jay Rosen, media critic and NYU professor of journalism, Omidyar
said he was committing an initial $250m to the as-yet-unnamed venture. Omidyar
told Rosen the decision was fuelled by his “rising concern about press freedoms
in the United States and around the world”.
Omidyar
said he hopes the project will promote “independent journalists with expertise,
and a voice and a following” while using Silicon Valley knowhow to build an
audience. “Companies in Silicon Valley invest a lot in understanding their
users and what drives user engagement,” Omidyar said. The company will be
online only and all proceeds will be reinvested in journalism.
In a
blogpost, the eBay billionaire revealed that he had been exploring a purchase
of the Washington Post, which was ultimately bought by Amazon founder Jeff
Bezos.
“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,” wrote Omidyar.
“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,” he wrote.
Omidyar
said he was in the “very early stages of creating a new mass media
organization. I don’t yet know how or when it will be rolled out, or what it
will look like.” He said the organization would cover general news as well as
investigative journalism.
“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 [video documentarian] and Jeremy Scahill [author and
national security expert], 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,” wrote Omidyar.
“I have
always been of the opinion that the right kind of journalism is a critical part
of our democracy,” he told Rosen.
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"Recalibration of Free Choice"– Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth, 4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical) 8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)
“…6 - The News
Number six. I'll be brief. Watch for your news to change. It has to. When the media realizes that Human Beings are changing their watching habits, they're going to start changing what they produce for you to watch. Eventually, there's going to be something called "The Good News Channel," and it will be very attractive indeed. For it will be real and offset the drama of what is today's attraction. This is what families at night, sitting around the table, will wish to watch. They'll have something where the whole picture of a situation is shown and not just the dramatic parts. You will hear about what's happening on the planet that no one is telling you now, and when that occurs [we have no clock, dear one], it's going to compete strongly with the drama. I keep telling you this. Human nature itself is starting to be in color instead of black and white. Watch for it. And that was number six ….”
"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)
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Let us speak of government. We're not speaking of your government, but of any government - the way it works, how it survives, how it has survived, the way it campaigns, and how it elects leaders. It's going to change.
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