Glenn Greenwald to leave Guardian and create news organization

Photo by Flickr user Gage Skidmore

Glenn Greenwald has decided to leave The Guardian newspaper and form a new news organization, BuzzFeed’s Ben Smith reported Tuesday afternoon.

Greenwald worked with former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden to publish a series of leaks about the agency’s surveillance activity. Greenwald became a strong Snowden defender.

His new venture is a “once-in-a-career dream journalistic opportunity” with major financial backing whose details will be public soon, the 46-year-old told BuzzFeed.

“My partnership with the Guardian has been extremely fruitful and fulfilling: I have high regard for the editors and journalists with whom I worked and am incredibly proud of what we achieved,” Greenwald said in an emailed statement. “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.”

Guardian spokeswoman Jennifer Lindenauer called Greenwald a “remarkable journalist.”

“Our work together over the last year has demonstrated the crucial role that responsible investigative journalism can play in holding those in power to account,” Lindenauer told BuzzFeed in an email. “We are of course disappointed by Glenn’s decision to move on, but can appreciate the attraction of the new role he has been offered. We wish him all the best.”

H/T Sam Lane