When the history of the Snowden revelations are written, Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras will of course figure prominently. But we have to give The Guardian newspaper and its editor Alan Rusbridger a lot of credit for being willing to publish the original revelations. There is no question that having a mainstream media outlet with a wide readership take the lead had a huge effect on the impact the story had. It is not surprising that the British government plans to retaliate against them, over and above ordering the extraordinary destruction of its computers. Rusbridger himself says that the scope of the NSA surveillance goes beyond George Orwell’s imagination. [Read more…]

News reports are emerging that Glenn Greenwald is leaving The Guardian to join a new media venture that is reportedly being funded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and possibly others. The parting has been friendly with both Greenwald and Guardian spokespeople expressing mutual respect and gratitude for what they have been able to accomplish together, especially on the blockbuster Edward Snowden revelations. [Read more…]

People often have the illusion that the BBC is an impartial news source. But in reality its journalists are as much establishment supporters of their government as the major news sources in the US. In this interview with Glenn Greenwald on the BBC program Newsnight, Kristy Ward demonstrates all the characteristics of an establishment journalist, such as taking government statements at face value and truthful (which is quite extraordinary given the high level of mendacity that they have displayed) and treating with high skepticism the statements of those who challenge the government’s version of events instead of treating both with the same high degree of skepticism. [Read more…]

The legendary investigative journalist apparently has a new book coming out and recently he gave a talk in London where he lambasted the ‘pathetic’ state of the US media today. [Read more…]

The only local media I consume is the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper and the NPR affiliate WCPN.

The newspaper has shifted to a strange model. It used to publish seven days a week and provide home delivery. Beginning in August, it still publishes a print newspaper seven days a week but has home delivery only on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. On the other three days one has to buy the print edition at a store or from a vending machine. The newspapers on the three days on which there is no home delivery are slimmer in size and the other four days are supposedly bigger to compensate for that. [Read more…]

An advertisement from Thailand is actually a poignant three-minute film.

It is good to be reminded that we should be kind to one another, even (and especially) if we expect nothing in return. As ad that does that is far more than just an ad.

It is fine for reporters to give anonymity to those who fear retribution if their identity is revealed. But it is wrong to do so just so that the government can advance a message or an agenda without taking responsibility for it. One of the things that I have railed against is the practice of journalists granting anonymity to sources who are speaking with the approval of the government. This allows the sources to say things that can be denied later. [Read more…]