eBay Founder & Glen Greenwald Team Up For News Co: Finally An Unbiased Media?
It's rare to get good news as a libertarian, but hope springs eternal!eBay Founder Pierre Omidyar has stated that he is building a new $250m independent news organization from the bottom up, and that he is partnering with former Guardian reporter and hero to liberty, Glen Greenwald.
“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.
Pierre is looking to appeal to the public at large,and create "engaged" citizens. From the Guardian:
“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 also stated that he had “rising concern about press freedoms in the United States and around the world.”That isn't all - he has grave concerns over the intrusions on personal privacy and liberty, having followed the story of Edward Snowden very closely.Yahoo News cites his Twitter feed:
Omidyar's active Twitter feed suggests he is very concerned about government-spying programs exposed by Greenwald and former U.S. government contractor Edward Snowden. In his blog post, Omidyar spoke of his growing interest in the role that journalism plays in society, and his own support of efforts to promote government accountability and transparency.
In referencing other articles, I've also learned that Pierre is very active politically, on both sides of the aisle, working with sitting members of the House and Senate to affect social change and charitable undertakings. However, he hasn't made a political donation since 2010 and his charities (Hopelab, Ulupono Initiative and Humanity United) don't push into the liberal darling areas that would bleed into Democratic politics and throw up any red flags for libertarians.What does worry me a bit is that his donations through the years have gone (in the majority) to Democratic candidates, and some of the absolute worst, including Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. He did give money to a moderate Republican, who voted for social liberties and fiscal conservatism in Jim Greenwood as well. Of course, this was all before the government's treachery against its own population came to light.Omidyar's partnering with Greenwald and also Greenwald's former colleagues Laura Poitras and Jeremy Scahill indicate that he is dedicated to an honest news organization that will be devoid of liberal (or conservative) leanings. Hopefully that isn't just an illusion (Greenwald should see to that), and we'll finally have a news media that reports unbiased facts and isn't employing reporters angling for a job with the Obama Administration.Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!