Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
name	Current TV
logofile	current.png
logocaption	Current TV's official logo
slogan	''Your World. View.''
launch	August 1, 2005
owner	Current Media, Inc.
headquarters	San Francisco, California
web	current.com
terr avail	Not Available
sat serv 1	DirecTV
sat chan 1	Channel 358
sat serv 2	Dish Network
sat chan 2	Channel 196
sat chan 3	Comcast
sat chan 3	Channel 107 or 125
sat chan 3	Channel 406
sat serv 4	Sky
sat chan 4	Channel 183
sat serv 5	TopTV
sat chan 5	Channel 406
cable serv 1	Virgin Media
cable chan 1	155
cable serv 2	In-House (Washington)
cable chan 2	Channel 22
cable serv 3	Available on most cable systems
cable chan 3	Check Local Listing for channels
iptv serv 1	Freewire
iptv chan 1	Channel 178 }}

Current TV, or Current, is a media company led by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt. The Comcast Corporation owns a ten percent stake of Current's parent company, Current Media LLC.

The Current cable television network went on the air in the US at midnight EDT (4:00 UTC) on the morning of August 1, 2005. A second network, operated in the United Kingdom and Ireland started its operation March 12, 2007, for Sky in the UK and Ireland and on Virgin Media in the UK. A third network, operated in Italy started its operation February 8, 2008, for SKY Italia subscribers and later for 3 subscribers. Current TV was launched in South Africa for satellite subscribers on the TopTV platform on 1 May 2010.

History

2004–2005

After the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Gore and Hyatt wanted to start a conventional cable news network. They were disenchanted with the existing networks. The plan evolved into making a viewer-generated channel aimed at an audience demographic age 18–34.

On May 4, 2004, INdTV Holdings, a company co-founded by Gore and Joel Hyatt, purchased cable news channel NewsWorld International (NWI) from Vivendi Universal for the express purpose of launching their new network with the space on some digital cable lineups (and DirecTV) that NWI had. The new network would not have political leanings, Gore said, but would serve as an "independent voice" for a target audience of people between 18 and 34 "who want to learn about the world in a voice they recognize and a view they recognize as their own."

Other reports said that Gore hoped that the channel would help change the tide of "consolidation and conglomeratization" of the media by leading the change to "democratization." The news network was said to be a combination between CNN, MTV, and blipverts.

In the summer of 2004, Gore and Hyatt announced their new network, named INdTV, with a series of public recruitment events. The first of these events was held at the Bambuddha Lounge in San Francisco's Tenderloin, on August 25.

On April 4, 2005, the former Vice President and business partner Hyatt announced that they had changed the name of the network from INdTV to Current. The new television network launched in the United States on August 1, 2005. Currently, Current is available in 30 million homes nationwide in the US, with plans underway for several international versions.

2006–2008

On September 20, 2006, Current TV started a short-lived partnership with Yahoo to supply topic-specific "channels" to the Yahoo Video website. Called the Yahoo! Current Network, the first four channels, "Current Buzz", "Current Traveler" "Current Action" (about action sports) and "Current Driver" quickly became the most popular videos on the Yahoo Video web site. There were Yahoo branded segments on Current TV, similar to the Google Current segments. Additional web channels were planned. However, on December 6, 2006, Yahoo and Current TV announced the end of their relationship. Madeline Smithberg, co-creator of ''The Daily Show'', was the Executive Producer for this project.

On October 6, 2006, a deal was announced with British Sky Broadcasting to create a localized UK and Ireland version of Current TV to its satellite systems in the United Kingdom and Ireland. This version went live on March 12, 2007. The channel launched on Sky EPG number 229 and Virgin Media Channel 155 following a refreshed brand identity and advertising campaign developed by Heavenly.

In 2007, Current TV started video-on-demand service on Virgin Media.

On January 31, 2007, Current TV launched on Dish Network.

On September 16, 2007, Current TV won an Emmy award for Best Interactive Television Service at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards. This was the first year in which this Emmy was presented during the primetime broadcast. The award was presented by Masi Oka of ''Heroes'' fame and MySpace founder Tom Anderson (through their own computers), and Al Gore and Joel Hyatt accepted the award on their behalf.

On February 8, 2008, it was announced that the network will be also available on the Italian SKY Italia satellite digital platform on channel 130. According to the official website, broadcast has started on May 8, 2008.

On June 6, 2008, it was announced that the network will be also available on the Italian 3 DVB-H mobile operator, as free of charge.

Current TV partnered with Twitter for the 2008 Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates, allowing viewers watching the Current TV version of the debates to post live on Twitter and have their opinions shown on screen, live.

2009–present

On 28 January 2009 Current Media Inc, revealed it intended to launch an IPO on the NASDAQ to raise $100m (£67m), but it told US regulators over Easter that it was scrapping the plan due to "current market conditions." The company added that no securities had been sold and all activity regarding the proposed public offering had been "discontinued".

In June 2009, Current TV received approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to establish a Canadian version of the channel, which would be a joint venture of Current TV and the CBC, with the CBC taking 80% ownership. The channel would be required to feature at least 35% Canadian content. The new service was planned to begin in fall 2009, pending approval by the Treasury Board, however those plans were put on hold later that year and as of June 2011 there are no plans to bring Current TV to Canada

In July 2009, Current TV, because of financial reasons and the failed IPO abandoned, did a series of changes. CEO Joel Hyatt resigned to a new Vice President position and was replaced by Mark Rosenthal, the former COO and president of MTV Networks, with a plan to reform Current TV to more traditional programing. The Huffington Post's Lisa Derrick predicted that Current TV would undergo a transformation similar to MTV's transformation, during Mark Rosenthal 1990s tenure at MTV, from MTV's multi-minute music video format to longer 30 minute/1 hour reality television programing. Ultimately its assorted pod format was discontinued in lieu of traditional 30 minute block programing. Some elements of the pod format survive inside the themed 30 minute programing. In July 2009, 80 in house staff were laid off, about 25% of Current's staff, and plans were announced to air licensed TV series and films and other content that is not produced by Current in-house or by the VC2 system. Hollywood Reporter's Andrew Wallenstein predicts Current will make its targeted demographic a decade older from early 20s to early 30s, and add more less-serious entertainment programing to its then mostly news and reality/documentary format.

In late 2009, after the announcement of the Comcast-NBC merger, Comcast Corporation submitted a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission that revealed it owns a ten percent stake of Current Media LLC. Current received three Emmy nominations in the news and documentary category in 2009.

In mid 2010, Current's Vanguard journalism program's piece, Oxycontin Express received a Peabody Award a first for both Mariana Van Zellar the journalist behind the story and Current. Current has also received a Headliner award. Around this time, a report by Reuters on the network's ongoing problems suggested that it could have blossomed into something akin to YouTube's video-sharing platform, MSNBC's role as a left-leaning news outlet, or even the Oprah Winfrey Network. "In retrospect," the report concluded, "what's distinctive about Current's troubles was that Gore's vision had so much potential. It's uncanny how close he was to capitalizing on several key trends that transformed the media world, only to watch others do so."

On June 20, 2011 Keith Olbermann relaunched Countdown with Keith Olbermann (previously on MSNBC) on Current TV. Olbermann stated on The Colbert Report that Current TV was planning to make a nightly news segment consisting of his show and others that will launch later on Current TV.

Programming

Prior to the 2009 format change, Current TV featured "pods," or short programs, of which a portion are created by viewers and users.

An experimental Canadian show from CBC called ZeD was the first programmed broadcast of user-generated video content. Other inspiration for Current TV came from a 1990s series on MTV called UNfiltered, where the network sent cameras to viewers in order to report on stories they thought were important. Current TV was the first American 24-hour network based around viewer-created content, which it dubbed VC².

Users (called VC² Producers) contributed three-to-seven-minute "pods", which are on a variety of subject matter. The content was filtered by registered users, on Current's website through a voting process, but pods are ultimately approved or disapproved by Current's on-air programming department, VC² made up a portion of the material aired on the channel. Users could also create Viewer Created Ad Messages, or V-CAMs and Current TV promos which were small promotions for either Current TV or the general topic of VC². The channel has exclusive broadcast rights for all media in perpetuity on viewer-submitted pods, and in some cases outright ownership of the pod and its raw footage, although this is negotiated on a pod by pod basis.

Current at the present broadcasts a variety of programs, including:

''infoMania'' is a weekly produced half-hour show which takes a satirical look into the world of politics and other pop culture news; similar to ''The Soup'' and ''The Daily Show''.

''Vanguard'' is Current's in-house journalism department, consisting of a team of young producers and correspondents who specialize in enterprising reporting on global issues. In addition to contributing original pods to Current's daily shuffle, Vanguard airs a weekly half-hour or hour long program of longer and more in depth pieces.

''Kill it, Cook it, Eat it'' features diverse participants hunting, butchering and preparing their chosen prey for the dinner table.

''Bar Karma'' is the worlds first community-developed television series. Developed by Will Wright (the Sims) and Albie Hecht (Nick, Spike TV).

''4th and Forever'' is a reality TV program featuring High School Football in California.

''Long Way Round'' features Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman traveling by motorcycle from London to New York.

''Cooking in the Danger Zone'' features Stefan Gates traveling the world to check out the crazy foods that some people eat.

''The Beat'' is a reality show featuring the Vancouver police.

''SWAT: Miami Dade'' is a reality show featuring the Miami-Dade police.

''Deadliest Journeys'' is a reality show featuring the worlds most dangerous roads.

''Hooked on Danger'' is a reality show featuring Tuna Fisherman in Australia.

''This American Life'' is a television version of the Public Radio program.

''50 Documentaries to See Before You Die'' is a five-part series hosted by Morgan Spurlock.

Hosts on Current TV appear in a set based on The Chemosphere, built by American architect John Lautner in 1960.

Current recently launched ''Current:News'', an hourly news broadcast with news stories submitted and voted for by its online community.

Current TV also gives viewers a chance to win $1000 for making a VCAM advertisement.

On February 8, 2011, Keith Olbermann, the host of MSNBC's formerly top-rated program, ''Countdown with Keith Olbermann'', announced he was joining Current as its Chief News Officer and as a stakeholder. Olbermann will host an hour long primetime news program on Current, also called Countdown with Keith Olbermann, beginning June 20th, 2011. The new show will air at 8 PM Eastern -- the same time slot as his old MSNBC show. Olbermann will also be heavily involved in the development of the rest of the network's news programming.

In May 2011, Current unveiled new imaging and a new logo.

Hosts

Previously on Real World Hawaii.

Anthony Marshall

Angela Sun

Anne Foy

Ben Hoffman

Brett Erlich – Campaign Update, Viral Video Film School, Co-host of the Rotten Tomatoes Show

Bryan Safi

Christof Putzel – Vanguard Correspondent

Conor Knighton – InfoMania

Crystal Fambrini

Donna Ruko

Douglas Caballero

Elizabeth Chambers

Ellen Fox – Co-host of the Rotten Tomatoes Show

Gotham Chopra

Graeme Smith

Jael de Pardo

Jason Silva (of "Max and Jason" fame)

Joe Hanson – Joe Gets, What's Wrong With; no longer a part of Current TV

Johnny Bell

Julia Hardy

Justin Gunn

Kaj Larsen – Vanguard Correspondent

Keith Olbermann - Countdown With Keith Olbermann

Kinga Philipps

Jared Leto

Laura Ling – Vanguard Correspondent; formerly imprisoned by North Korea

Layla Kayleigh – No longer a part of Current TV. She was initially hired as a host, but was terminated before the network went to air for doing a photo shoot with the magazine ''Maxim''. She hosted a segment called the "The Feed" on G4's ''Attack of the Show''.

Mariana van Zeller – Vanguard Correspondent

Max Lugavere (of "Max and Jason" fame)

Michelle Lombardo

Milo McCabe

Nick Carter – a.k.a Murs, an underground hip-hop artist

Nzinga Blake

Rawley Valverde

Rowly Dennis

Sarah Haskins

Scott Logan (TV Presenter and Actor)

Sergio Cilli

Shauntay Hinton – former Current TV employee and now hosts on the Fine Living Network

Zara Martin (TV Presenter and Actress)

2009 imprisonment of journalists by North Korea

The North Korean military detained two American journalists working for Current TV in March 2009 after they allegedly crossed into North Korea from China.

"Two reporters working for a U.S.-based Internet news media outlet, including a Korean American, were detained by North Korean authorities earlier this week, and they remain in custody there," said Yonhap news agency, quoting an unnamed diplomatic source. Reports say that the journalists were both warned several times by the North Korean military, about crossing the border.

The two female journalists are Korean American Euna Lee and Taiwanese American Laura Ling of Current TV based in California in the United States. Lee is the editor of the news for Current TV and Ling is one of the agency's reporters. They were said to have been shooting a video of the border region of China and N. Korea when they were arrested at the Tumen River. Laura Ling is the younger sister of CNN reporter Lisa Ling.

"We're aware of reports that early in the morning of March 17, China time, two American citizens were taken into custody across the Tumen river by what appear to be North Korean border guards. We are working with Chinese government officials in that particular area to ascertain the whereabouts and welfare of the Americans in question. We've also been in touch with North Korean officials to express our concern about the situation," said U.S. State Department spokesman, Fred Lash.

On March 30, the ''Korean Central News Agency'' (KCNA), the state news agency of North Korea, reported that preparations were under way for indictments and a trial, saying, "The illegal entry of US reporters into the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) and their suspected hostile acts have been confirmed by evidence and their statements." The two faced trial on June 4.

According to Kim Tae-woo of the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis, “The journalists considerably weakened their government’s leverage against the North,” in ongoing negotiations over the DPRK's nuclear program.

On June 8, Reuters reported that the two reporters were found guilty of illegal entry and committing "hostile acts against the DPRK" and subsequently sentenced to twelve years of hard labor.

Stanford Law professor Allen Weiner said that U.S. citizens are charged with crimes in foreign countries all the time, but: "The difference here is that we have grave doubts whether [the two journalists] have done anything wrong, or whether they were arrested because they were Americans." He added that "now we are finding ourselves asking the North Koreans for something when we were trying to increase international pressure on them. That big stick we're holding just got a lot smaller."

On August 4, BBC News reported that they were pardoned amidst a visit by former U.S. president Bill Clinton. They were released and returned home the following day. Upon flying home, they were greeted at an airport in Burbank, California.

References

External links

Current TV ''official site''

Current TV on Hulu

;Articles

'Betting a Network on Youths Who Think' – ''New York Times'' article, August 22, 2005

Current TV at one year – ''Associated Press'', July 27, 2006

'The Other Man Behind Current TV' – ''Broadcasting and Cable''. About CEO Joel Hyatt, November 19, 2006

'All Eyes on The Shins' – ''Wired'' Magazine, January 2007

Current TV makes its move -Gore promotes new network to overseas markets. ''Variety'', March 12, 2007

Current TV's V-CAMs (Viewer Created Ad Messages) – ''Adweek''

Current TV Tops 50 MM Subs – Multichannel News, March 12, 2007

Al Gore's Low Voltage Network, November 12, 2007

Interview with Robin Sloan, New Media Director at Current, Intruders tv) Video, April 2009

Category:Television channels and stations established in 2005 Category:Al Gore Category:Media companies of the United States Category:American cable network groups Category:American television networks Category:Television channels in Italy Category:Community-created content television Category:Internet television channels Category:Internet television Category:Software projects Category:Web 2.0 Category:Video on demand services Category:English-language television stations Category:Italian-language television stations Category:Companies based in San Francisco, California

cy:Current TV fr:Current TV it:Current TV nl:Current TV pt:Current TV

Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
Name	Keith Olbermann
Birthname	Keith Theodore Olbermann
Birth date	January 27, 1959
Birth place	New York City, New York, U.S.
Education	B.S., Cornell University
Occupation	Political commentator
Years active	1980s–present
Credits	''Countdown with Keith Olbermann'' (2003–2011)''SportsCenter'' (1992–1997)''Football Night in America'' (2007–2010)
Agent	}}

Keith Theodore Olbermann (; born January 27, 1959) is an American political commentator and writer. He is the host of Countdown with Keith Olbermann on Current TV, an approximately hour-long nightly commentary program, and the Chief News Officer of the Current TV network. A former sportscaster and news anchor, Olbermann hosted Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC for almost eight years before moving the show to Current TV. The new show began airing June 20, 2011.

Olbermann spent the first twenty years of his career in sports journalism. He was a sports correspondent for CNN and for local TV and radio stations in the 1980s, winning the ''Best Sportscaster'' award from the California Associated Press three times. He later co-hosted ESPN's ''SportsCenter'' from 1992 to 1997. After leaving ESPN amid controversy, Olbermann became a sports anchor and producer for Fox Sports Net from 1998 to 2001, during which time he hosted Fox's studio coverage of baseball.

After leaving Fox, Olbermann re-joined MSNBC after a hiatus, hosting ''Countdown with Keith Olbermann'' from 2003 until 2011. Olbermann established a niche in cable news commentary, gaining note for his pointed criticism of major politicians and public figures, directed particularly at the political right. He feuded with rival Fox News Channel commentator Bill O'Reilly and strongly criticized the George W. Bush administration and John McCain's unsuccessful 2008 Presidential candidacy. Although he has said on at least one occasion "I'm not a liberal; I'm an American", many describe Olbermann as a liberal.

Early life

Olbermann was born January 27, 1959, in New York City to Marie Katherine (née Charbonier), a preschool teacher, and Theodore Olbermann, a commercial architect, and is of German descent. He has one younger sister, Jenna, who was born in 1968. Olbermann grew up in a Unitarian household in the town of Hastings-on-Hudson in Westchester County, and attended Hackley School in nearby Tarrytown.

Olbermann became a devoted fan of baseball at a young age, a love he inherited from his mother who was a lifelong New York Yankees fan. As a teenager, he often wrote about baseball card-collecting and appeared in many sports card-collecting periodicals of the mid-1970s. He is also referenced in ''Sports Collectors Bible'', a 1979 book by Bert Sugar, which is considered one of the important early books for trading card collectors.

While at Hackley, Olbermann began his broadcasting career as a play-by-play announcer for WHTR. After graduating from Hackley in 1975, Olbermann enrolled at Cornell University at the age of 16. At college, Olbermann served as sports director for WVBR, a student-run commercial radio station in Ithaca. Olbermann graduated from Cornell in 1979 with a B.S. in communications arts.

Sports broadcasting

Olbermann began his professional career at UPI and the RKO Radio Network before joining then nascent CNN in 1981. Among the early stories he covered was the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid including the "Miracle on Ice." In the early-to-mid '80s he was a sportscaster on the old WNEW 1130-AM radio station in New York City. Also in the mid-1980s, he did the voice-over on the USA Cable Network's "Cartoon Express", with cheering kids heard in the background. In 1984, he briefly worked as a sports anchor at WCVB-TV in Boston, before heading to Los Angeles to work at KTLA and KCBS. His work there earned him 11 Golden Mike Awards, and he was named best sportscaster by the California Associated Press three times.

ESPN

In 1992, Olbermann joined ESPN's ''SportsCenter'', a position he held until 1997 with the exception of a period from 1993–1994 when he was at ESPN2 on ''SportsNight''. He joined ESPN2 as their "marquee" personality to help launch the network. He often co-hosted ''SportsCenter'' 11 PM show with Dan Patrick, the two becoming a popular anchor team. In 1995, Olbermann won a Cable ACE award for Best Sportscaster. Olbermann later co-authored a book with Patrick called ''The Big Show'' about their experiences working at ''SportsCenter''; he also said that the short-lived ABC dramedy ''Sports Night'' was based on his time on ''SportsCenter'' with Patrick. He made $350,000 at the end of his tenure at ESPN.

Early in 1997, Olbermann was suspended for two weeks after he made an unauthorized appearance on ''The Daily Show'' on Comedy Central with then-host and former ESPN colleague Craig Kilborn. At one point in the show, he referred to Bristol, Connecticut (ESPN's headquarters), as a "'Godforsaken place." Later that year, Olbermann abruptly left ESPN under a cloud of controversy, apparently burning his bridges with the network's management; this began a long and drawn-out feud between Olbermann and ESPN. Between 1997 and 2007, incidents between the two sides included Olbermann's publishing an essay on Salon.com in November 2002, titled "Mea Culpa", in which he stated: "I couldn't handle the pressure of working in daily long-form television, and what was worse, I didn't know I couldn't handle it." The essay told of an instance when his former bosses remarked he had "too much backbone," a claim that is literally true, as Olbermann has six lumbar vertebrae instead of the normal five.

In 2004, Olbermann was not included in ESPN's guest lineup for its 25th anniversary ''SportsCenter'' "Reunion Week," which saw Craig Kilborn and Charley Steiner return to the ''SportsCenter'' set. In 2007, ten years after Olbermann's departure, in an appearance on ''The Late Show with David Letterman'', he said: "If you burn a bridge, you can possibly build a new bridge, but if there's no river any more, that's a lot of trouble." During the same interview, Olbermann stated that he had recently learned that as a result of ESPN's agreeing to let him return to the airwaves, he was banned from ESPN's main (Bristol, Connecticut) campus.

Post-''SportsCenter''

In 1998, Olbermann joined Fox Sports Net as anchor and executive producer for ''The Keith Olbermann Evening News'', a sportscast similar to ''SportsCenter'', airing weekly on Sunday evenings. While at Fox, he again hosted the 2000 World Series as well as Fox Broadcasting's baseball ''Game of the Week''. In May and July 1999, Olbermann also guest starred ten times on the ''Hollywood Squares''.

According to Olbermann, he was fired from Fox in 2001 after reporting on rumors that Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corporation owns Fox, was planning on selling the Los Angeles Dodgers. When asked about Olbermann, Murdoch said: "I fired him...He's crazy." News Corp. went on to sell the Dodgers to Frank McCourt in 2004. That year, Olbermann remarked, "Fox Sports was an infant trying to stand [in comparison to ESPN], but on the broadcast side there was no comparison—ESPN was the bush leagues."

After Olbermann left Fox Sports in 2001, he provided twice-daily sports commentary on the ABC Radio Network, reviving the "Speaking of Sports" and "Speaking of Everything" segments begun by Howard Cosell.

In 2005, Olbermann made a return to ESPN on the radio when he began co-hosting an hour of the syndicated ''Dan Patrick Show'' on ESPN radio, a tenure that lasted until Patrick left ESPN on August 17, 2007. Olbermann and Patrick referred to this segment as "The Big Show," just as their book was known. Patrick often introduced Olbermann with the tagline "saving the democracy," a nod to his work on ''Countdown''.

On April 16, 2007, Olbermann was named co-host of ''Football Night in America'', NBC's NFL pre-game show that precedes their Sunday Night NFL game, a position which reunited him in 2008 with his former ''SportsCenter'' co-anchor Dan Patrick. Olbermann left the show prior to the start of the 2010 season.

News journalism

In 1997, Olbermann left ESPN to host a primetime show on MSNBC, ''The Big Show with Keith Olbermann'' (ESPN objected to the use of the title). The news-driven program, with substantial discussion, relied on Olbermann to carry the 8 to 9 PM hour. The show typically covered three or four topics in a one-hour broadcast. Olbermann also hosted two Sunday editions of ''NBC Nightly News'' and once co-anchored a Saturday edition of the ''Today'' show. During that period, Olbermann along with Hannah Storm, also co-hosted NBC Sports' pre-game coverage of the MLB 1997 World Series.

When the Monica Lewinsky scandal broke in 1998, ''The Big Show with Keith Olbermann'' morphed into ''White House in Crisis''. Olbermann became frustrated as his show was consumed by the Lewinsky story. In 1998, he stated that his work at MSNBC would "make me ashamed, make me depressed, make me cry." Olbermann left MSNBC for Fox Sports Net shortly thereafter.

After leaving Fox Sports in 2001, Olbermann returned once more to news journalism. In 2003, his network won an Edward R. Murrow Award for writing on the "Keith Olbermann Speaking of Everything" show. In addition, Olbermann wrote a weekly column for Salon.com from July 2002 until early 2003., worked for CNN as a freelance reporter, and was a fill-in for newscaster Paul Harvey.

Olbermann revived his association with MSNBC in 2003 briefly as a substitute host on ''Nachman'' and as an anchor for the network's coverage of the war in Iraq.

''Countdown with Keith Olbermann''

Olbermann's own show, ''Countdown'', debuted on March 31, 2003, in the 8 p.m. ET time slot previously held by programs hosted by Phil Donahue and, briefly, Lester Holt. On October 13, 2004, Olbermann launched ''Bloggermann'', his ''Countdown'' blog, hosted on MSNBC.com. Olbermann used the open format of the blog to expand on facts or ideas alluded to in the broadcast, to offer personal musings and reactions. However, in February 2007, Olbermann launched a new blog, ''The News Hole''.

''Countdown'''s format, per its name, involves Olbermann ranking the five biggest news stories of the day or sometimes "stories my producers force me to cover," as Olbermann puts it. This is done in numerically reverse order, counting down with the first story shown being ranked fifth but apparently the most important. The segments ranked numbers two and one typically are of a lighter fare than segments ranked five through three. The first few stories shown are typically oriented toward government, politics, and world events. His stories usually involve celebrities, sports, and, regularly and somewhere in the middle, the bizarre, in a segment he calls "Oddball." Opinions on each are offered by Olbermann and interviewed guests. Olbermann has been criticized for only having guests that agree with his perspective. Former ''Los Angeles Times'' television critic Howard Rosenberg stated that "Countdown is more or less an echo chamber in which Olbermann and like-minded bobbleheads nod at each other."

In a technique similar to that of former CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite in connection to the Iran Hostage Crisis, Olbermann for many years closed the program by counting the days since May 1, 2003, the day that President George W. Bush declared the end of "major combat operations" in Iraq under a banner that read "Mission Accomplished", and then crumpling up his notes, throwing them at the camera and saying "Good night and good luck" in the mode of another former CBS newsman, Edward Murrow. Olbermann discounts this gesture to his hero as "presumptuous" and a "feeble tribute."

On February 16, 2007, MSNBC reported that Olbermann had signed a four-year extension on his contract with MSNBC for ''Countdown'' which also provided for his hosting of two ''Countdown'' specials a year to be aired on ''NBC'' as well as for his occasional contribution of essays on ''NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams''.

Olbermann co-anchored, with Chris Matthews, MSNBC's coverage of the death of fellow NBC News employee Tim Russert on June 13, 2008. He presented a tribute, along with several fellow journalists, in honor of Russert.

During the 2008 U.S. presidential election, Olbermann co-anchored MSNBC's coverage with Chris Matthews until September 7, 2008, when they were replaced by David Gregory after complaints from both outside and inside of NBC that they were making partisan statements. This apparent conflict of interest had been an issue as early as May 2007, when Giuliani campaign officials complained about his serving in dual roles, as both a host and a commentator. Despite this, ''Countdown'' was broadcast both before and after each of the presidential and vice-presidential debates, and Olbermann and Matthews joined Gregory on MSNBC's Election Day coverage. Olbermann and Matthews also led MSNBC's coverage of the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

In November 2008, it was announced that Olbermann had signed a four-year contract extension worth an estimated $30 million.

Feud with Bill O'Reilly

Since beginning ''Countdown'''s "Worst Person in the World" segment in July 2005, Olbermann has repeatedly awarded Bill O'Reilly, host of ''The O'Reilly Factor'' on Fox News Channel, the dubious honor. The feud between the anchors originated with Olbermann's extensive coverage of a 2004 sexual harassment suit brought against O'Reilly by former Fox News Channel producer Andrea Mackris during which Olbermann asked ''Countdown'' viewers to fund the purchase of lurid audio tapes allegedly held by Mackris. In 2008 O'Reilly decided to avoid mentioning Olbermann's name on the air, and once cut off a caller who mentioned Olbermann. O'Reilly has also led campaigns against MSNBC's political coverage without ever specifically mentioning Olbermann. The rivalry continued when in 2006 at Television Critics' Association in California, Olbermann donned a mask of O'Reilly and made a Nazi salute, leading to a letter of protest from the Anti-Defamation League.

In an article on "perhaps the fiercest media feud of the decade", the ''New York Times's'' Brian Stelter noted that as of early June 2009 the "combat" between the two hosts seems to have abruptly ended due to instructions filtered down to Olbermann and O'Reilly from the chief executives of their respective networks. On the August 3, 2009 edition of ''Countdown'', Olbermann asserted that he had made statements to Stelter before the article was published denying that he was a party to such a deal, or that there was such a deal between NBC and Fox News, or that any NBC executive had asked him to change ''Countdown'''s content. Olbermann maintained that he had stopped joking about O'Reilly because of O'Reilly's attacks of George Tiller, and soon resumed his criticism of O'Reilly.

Suspension

On October 28, 2010, days before the 2010 U.S. elections, Olbermann donated $2,400 each to three Democratic candidates for Congress: Kentucky Senate candidate Jack Conway, and Arizona Democratic Representatives Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords. Grijalva had appeared on Olbermann's show immediately before Olbermann mailed the donations. In response, on November 5, MSNBC President Phil Griffin suspended him indefinitely without pay for violating a network policy which required employees to obtain approval from management before making political contributions. An online petition calling for his reinstatement received over 250,000 signatures; two days after the suspension began, Griffin announced that Olbermann would return to the air on November 9.

Departure

On January 21, 2011, Olbermann announced his departure from MSNBC and the episode would be the final episode of ''Countdown''. MSNBC issued a statement that it had ended its contract with Olbermann, with no further explanation. Additional reporting in the days immediately following suggested that the negotiations for the end of Olbermann's tenure at MSNBC had begun soon after the end of his suspension.

Current TV and FOKNewsChannel.com

On February 8, 2011, it was announced that Olbermann had taken the position of Chief News Officer for the Al Gore/Joel Hyatt public affairs channel Current TV. It was confirmed that he would begin hosting a one-hour prime time program on the network "sometime in the spring." The new show was scheduled to air at 8 PM Eastern — the same time slot that ''Countdown'' was in. On April 26, 2011 it was announced that Olbermann's new show would debut on June 20 and would be named "Countdown with Keith Olbermann". Olbermann will also be heavily involved in the development of the rest of the network's news programming. The deal includes an equity stake in Current TV.

During the interim between shows, Olbermann also launched an "official not-for-profit" blog called FOKNewsChannel.com, "FOK" being an abbreviation for "Friends Of Keith". The blog features political commentaries by Olbermann—including viral video versions of ''Countdown'''s "Special Comment" and "Worst Person" segments—as well as photographs of his outings at professional baseball games. On May 29, 2011, the FOKNewsChannel.com domain redirected to the Current website promoting the June 20 launch.

Political positions

Viewpoints

Although it began as a traditional newscast, ''Countdown with Keith Olbermann'' eventually adopted an opinion-oriented format. In a ''Countdown'' interview with Al Franken on October 25, 2005, Olbermann noted that in 2003, after having Janeane Garofalo and Franken on his show, a vice president of MSNBC had questioned him on inviting "liberals" on consecutive nights, contrasting that occurrence to the apparent ideological latitude he enjoyed at the time of the second Franken interview. In January 2007 ''The Washington Post'''s Howard Kurtz wrote that Olbermann was "position[ing] his program as an increasingly liberal alternative to ''The O'Reilly Factor''." Much of the program has featured harsh criticism of prominent Republicans and right-leaning figures, including those who worked for or supported the George W. Bush Administration, 2008 Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain and running mate Governor Sarah Palin, and rival news commentator Bill O'Reilly, whom Olbermann has routinely dubbed the "Worst Person In The World."

During the 2008 Democratic Party primaries Olbermann frequently chastised presidential aspirant Hillary Clinton for her campaign tactics against her principal opponent, Senator Barack Obama, and made her the subject of two of his "special comments". Olbermann has also posted on the liberal blog Daily Kos.

In November 2007, British newspaper ''The Daily Telegraph'' placed Olbermann at #67 on their Top 100 list of most influential US liberals. It said that he uses his MSNBC show to promote "an increasingly strident liberal agenda." It added that he would be "a force on the Left for some time to come." Avoiding ideological self-labeling, Olbermann once told the on-line magazine Salon.com, "I'm not a liberal, I'm an American."

Before the 2010 Massachusetts special election, Olbermann called Republican candidate Scott Brown "an irresponsible, homophobic, racist, reactionary, ex-nude model, Tea Bagging supporter of violence against women, and against politicians with whom he disagrees". This was criticized by his colleague Joe Scarborough, who called the comments "reckless" and "sad". Yael T. Abouhalkah of the ''Kansas City Star'' said that Olbermann "crossed the line in a major way with his comments". Jon Stewart criticized him about this attack in his show by noting that it was "the harshest description of anyone I've ever heard uttered on MSNBC", following which Olbermann apologized by noting, "I have been a little over the top lately. Point taken. Sorry."

He has accused the Tea Party movement of being racist due to what he views as a lack of racial diversity at the events, using photos that show overwhelmingly Caucasian crowds attending the rallies. In response, the Dallas Tea Party invited Olbermann to attend one of their events and also criticized his network for a lack of racial diversity, pointing out that an online banner of MSNBC personalities that appears on the website shows only white personalities. Olbermann declined the invitation, citing his father's prolonged ill health and hospitalization and noted that the network has minority anchors, contributors and guests.

Criticism of the Bush administration

In Olbermann's "Special Comment" segment on July 3, 2007, he called President George W. Bush's commutation of Lewis "Scooter" Libby's prison sentence the "last straw" and called for the resignation of Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

On his February 14, 2008 "Special Comments" segment, Olbermann castigated Bush for threatening to veto an extension of the Protect America Act unless it provided full immunity from lawsuits to telecom companies. During the same commentary, Olbermann called Bush a fascist.

In a special comment on May 14, 2008, Olbermann criticized Bush for announcing that he had stopped playing golf in honor of American soldiers who died in the Iraq war. He stated that Bush never should have started the war in the first place, and he accused Bush of dishonesty and war crimes.

Baseball fan

Olbermann is a dedicated baseball fan and historian of the sport, with membership in the Society for American Baseball Research. In 1973, when he was only 14 years old, Card Memorabilia Associates published his book ''The Major League Coaches: 1921–1973''. The September issue of Beckett Sports Collectibles Vintage included a T206 card that depicted Olbermann in a 1905-era New York Giants uniform. He argues that New York Giants baseball player Fred Merkle has been unduly criticized for his infamous baserunning mistake. He contributed the foreword to ''More Than Merkle'' (ISBN 0-8032-1056-6), a book requesting amnesty for "Merkle's Boner". Olbermann was also one of the founders of the first experts' fantasy baseball league, the ''USA Today Baseball Weekly'' League of Alternative Baseball Reality, and he gave the league its nickname "LABR". Olbermann wrote the foreword to the 2009 Baseball Prospectus Annual.

In March 2009, Olbermann began a baseball-related blog entitled Baseball Nerd. He has also written a series of articles on baseball cards for the ''Sports Collectors Digest''.

Personal life

In June 2006, Olbermann began dating Katy Tur, now a reporter with WNBC-TV. According to Mediaite, the couple broke up in 2009 after three years of cohabitation.

Olbermann suffers from a mild case of coeliac disease, as well as restless legs syndrome. In August 1980, he also suffered a head injury while "leaping" onto the NYC subway. This head injury permanently upset his equilibrium, resulting in his avoidance of driving. Along with Bob Costas, he supports the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation as an honorary board member.

During a period in the mid-1990s, Olbermann appeared in a series of Boston Market advertisements, in which he would instruct a group of underweight models to "Eat something!"

Olbermann's father, Theodore, died on March 13, 2010 of complications from colon surgery the previous September. His mother had died several months before. Olbermann had cited the need to spend time with his father for taking a leave of absence shortly before his father's death, occasionally recording segments to air at the beginning of the shows which Lawrence O'Donnell guest hosted in his absence, giving his views on the state of the American health care system and updating viewers on his father's condition.

Career timeline

''SportsCenter'', co-anchor (1992–1997) ''The Big Show'', anchor (1997–1998) ''White House in Crisis'', anchor (1997–1998) ''Major League Baseball on Fox'', studio host (1999–2000) ''The Keith Olbermann Evening News'', anchor (1998–2001)

''Football Night in America'', co-host (2007–2010)

''Countdown with Keith Olbermann'', anchor (MSNBC: 2003–2011; Current TV: 2011–present)

Bibliography

''The Major League Coaches: 1921–1973'' (Card Memorabilia Associates, 1973).

''The Big Show: Inside ESPN's Sportscenter'' (Atria, 1997) (coauthor: Dan Patrick). ISBN 0-671-00918-4.

''The Worst Person In the World and 202 Strong Contenders'' (Wiley, September 2006). ISBN 0-470-04495-0.

''Truth and Consequences: Special Comments on the Bush Administration's War on American Values'' (Random House, December 2007). ISBN 978-1-4000-6676-6.

''Pitchforks and Torches: The Worst of the Worst, from Beck, Bill, and Bush to Palin and Other Posturing Republicans'' (Wiley, October 25, 2010). ISBN 0-470-61447-1.

References

External links

Fok News Channel

Keith Olbermann on Current TV

Keith Olbermann's blog on The Daily Kos

Baseball Nerd, Keith Olbermann's Major League Baseball blog

Keith Olbermann's biography at TV guide

Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:1959 births Category:American broadcast news analysts Category:American political pundits Category:American television news anchors Category:American television talk show hosts Category:Boston, Massachusetts television anchors Category:Cornell University alumni Category:American writers of German descent Category:Living people Category:Television news anchors in Los Angeles, California Category:Major League Baseball announcers Category:MSNBC Category:NBC News Category:People from New York City Category:People from Westchester County, New York Category:National Football League announcers

ar:كيث أولبرمان de:Keith Olbermann et:Keith Olbermann es:Keith Olbermann eo:Keith Olbermann fa:کیت اولبرمن fr:Keith Olbermann ko:키스 올버맨 ja:キース・オルバーマン pl:Keith Olbermann simple:Keith Olbermann sh:Keith Olbermann

Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
name	Glenn Greenwald
birth date	March 06, 1967
birth place	New York City
nationality	United States
citizenship	United States
education	B.A., 1990J.D., 1994
alma mater	George Washington UniversityNew York University Law School
genre	non-fiction, political and legal commentary
subject	US politics, law
notableworks	How Would a Patriot Act?A Tragic Legacy
website	http://salon.com/opinion/greenwald/ }}

Glenn Greenwald (born March 6, 1967) is an American lawyer, columnist, blogger, and author. Greenwald worked as a constitutional and civil rights litigator before becoming a contributor (columnist and blogger) to ''Salon.com'', where he focuses on political and legal topics. He has also contributed to other newspapers and political news magazines, including ''The New York Times'', ''The Los Angeles Times'', ''The American Conservative'', ''The National Interest'', and ''In These Times''.

Greenwald has written four books: ''How Would a Patriot Act?'' (2006) and ''A Tragic Legacy'' (2007), both New York Times bestsellers; ''Great American Hypocrites'' (2008), and ''With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law Is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful'', due out in October 2011.

In March 2009, he was selected, along with ''Democracy Now!'s'' Amy Goodman, as the recipient of the first annual Izzy Award by the Park Center for Independent Media, an award named after famed independent journalist I.F. "Izzy" Stone and devoted to rewarding excellence in independent journalism. The selection panel cited Greenwald's "pathbreaking journalistic courage and persistence in confronting conventional wisdom, official deception and controversial issues."

In October 2010, he won the Online Journalism Award for Best Commentary, for his investigative article on the arrest of U.S. Army Private Bradley Manning as the alleged leaker to WikiLeaks.

His commentaries "on surveillance issues and separation of powers" have been cited in ''The New York Times'', in ''The Washington Post'', in United States Senate floor debates, and in House "official ... reports on executive power abuses," and he appears on various radio and television programs as a guest political pundit.

Background

Greenwald was born on March 6, 1967, in New York City, where he still lives part of the year. He earned a B.A. from George Washington University in 1990 and a J.D. from New York University Law School in 1994. During law school, he worked as an intern and Summer Associate at the New York law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, and after graduation, he practiced law in the Litigation Department at Wachtell, Lipton (1994–1995); in 1996 he co-founded his own litigation firm, called Greenwald Christoph & Holland (later renamed Greenwald Christoph PC), where he litigated cases concerning issues of U.S. constitutional law and civil rights.

One of Greenwald's most notable First Amendment clients was Matthew Hale, a leader of the organization formerly known as the World Church of the Creator and now known as the Creativity Movement, who, on April 6, 2005, was sentenced to a 40-year prison term for soliciting an undercover FBI informant to kill federal judge Joan Lefkow and incarcerated in the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility (ADX) in Florence, Colorado. Although he "represented Hale and his organization in several civil cases" and was not involved in Hale's criminal defense case, after the subsequent killing of Judge Lefkow's mother and husband while Hale was incarcerated for the earlier conviction, Greenwald was approached by Hale's mother, Evelyn Hutcheson, to deliver a purportedly "encoded message" from the imprisoned Hale to one of his supporters on the outside; but, despite believing that Hale had been wrongfully convicted and uninvolved in the more recent murders, Greenwald declined to do so.

In his entry in ''Unclaimed Territory'' for July 10, 2006, Greenwald explains, "I decided voluntarily to wind down my practice in 2005 because I could, and because, after ten years, I was bored with litigating full-time and wanted to do other things which I thought were more engaging and could make more of an impact, including political writing."

In the same entry, Greenwald observes that he has been openly gay for 20 years and that, while he has lived in the United States all his life, he divides his time between New York City and Rio de Janeiro, the hometown of his partner:

Revealingly, American law prevents the recognition of our relationship as a ground for him to live in the United States, while Brazilian law recognizes same-sex relationships for visa and immigration purposes. As a result, for the past year [2006], I have spent substantial time in Brazil while also having a residence in New York. Spending substantial time in another country does not make one an 'expatriate.' And even those American citizens who do give up American residence and live abroad retain full rights of citizenship, including voting rights. But I have not done so.

According to Ken Silverstein's interview with Greenwald published in ''Harper's Magazine'' on February 22, 2008, conducted by telephone while Greenwald was in Brazil, he lives there "much of the time." On July 22, 2008, when Greenwald participated in a debate with Cass Sunstein, an adviser to then Senator Barack Obama, moderated by Amy Goodman on ''Democracy Now!'', their exchange was also conducted by telephone from Brazil.

In a May 2008 interview, Greenwald explained that "even though Brazil has the largest Catholic population of any country in the world" and "was a military dictatorship until 1985": "I’m able to obtain from the Brazilian government a permanent visa because my Brazilian partner's government recognizes our relationship for immigration purposes, while the government of my supposedly 'free,' liberty-loving country enacted a law explicitly barring such recognition."

Political views

Greenwald is critical of actions that have the support of both Democrats and Republicans, writing: "the worst and most tyrannical government actions in Washington are equally supported on a fully bipartisan basis."

In the preface to his first book, ''How Would a Patriot Act?'' (2006), Greenwald begins by giving some of his own personal political history, describing himself as at first neither liberal nor conservative but as one who had taken positions that can be ascribed to both liberals and conservatives, voting neither for George W. Bush nor for any of his rivals, indeed not voting at all.

Bush's ascendancy to the U.S. Presidency "changed" Greenwald's previous uninvolved political attitude toward the electoral process "completely":

Over the past five years, a creeping extremism has taken hold of our federal government, and it is threatening to radically alter our system of government and who we are as a nation. This extremism is neither conservative nor liberal in nature, but is instead driven by theories of unlimited presidential power that are wholly alien, and antithetical, to the core political values that have governed this country since its founding"; for, "the fact that this seizure of ever-expanding presidential power is largely justified through endless, rank fear-mongering—fear of terrorists, specifically—means that not only our system of government is radically changing, but so, too, are our national character, our national identity, and what it means to be American."

Believing that "It is incumbent upon all Americans who believe in that system, bequeathed to us by the founders, to defend it when it is under assault and in jeopardy. And today it is", he stresses: "I did not arrive at these conclusions eagerly or because I was predisposed by any previous partisan viewpoint. Quite the contrary."

Resistant to applying ideological labels to himself, he emphasizes repeatedly that he is a strong advocate for U.S. constitutional "balance of powers" and for constitutionally-protected civil and political rights in his writings and public appearances.

Throughout them he has relentlessly criticized the policies of the George W. Bush administration and those who support or enable it, arguing that most of the American "Corporate News Media" excuse Bush's policies and echo administration talking points rather than asking hard questions.

Entitling his ''Unclaimed Territory'' blog entry for January 16, 2006, "Bush Followers Are Not Conservatives", Greenwald explains this position:

It has long been clear that there is nothing remotely "conservative" about this Administration, at least in the sense that conservative ideology has stood for a restrained Federal Government which was to be distrusted. There has been a long line of decidedly un-conservative actions by this Administration – from exploding discretionary domestic spending to record deficits to an emergency convening of the Federal Government to intervene in one woman's end-of-life decisions to attempts to federalize, even constitutionalize, marriage laws – all of which could not be any more alien to what has been meant by "conservatism" for the past 40 years.

The New York Times describes Greenwald as a liberal.

In his various media guest appearances and publications, Greenwald elaborates his political views, which he also summarizes succinctly in responding to "six questions ... about political campaign coverage and the media" that Ken Silverstein posed to him in an article published in ''Harper's Magazine'' on February 21, 2008.

Greenwald holds a favourable view of drug liberalization. He conducted research, commissioned by the Cato Institute, on the effect of the abolition of all criminal penalties for personal drug possession in Portugal, which occurred in 2001. According to Greenwald, "decriminalization in Portugal has been a resounding success... It has enabled the Portuguese government to manage and control the drug problem far better than virtually every other Western country does".

He also opposes capital punishment on the ground that it is "unjust."

In a discussion about Civil Liberties in the age of Obama, he elaborated on his conception of change when he said "I think the only means of true political change will come from people working outside of that [two-party electoral] system to undermine it, and subvert it, and weaken it, and destroy it; not try to work within it to change it."

''Unclaimed Territory''

Greenwald started his blog ''Unclaimed Territory'' in October 2005, focusing initially on the investigation pertaining to the Plame affair, the CIA leak grand jury investigation, and the federal indictment of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Two months later, when the National Security Agency warrantless surveillance controversy became news, he began to focus primarily on that issue. In January 2006 Greenwald attracted national media attention after he wrote in ''Unclaimed Territory'' that U.S. Senator Mike DeWine had proposed an easier standard for domestic eavesdropping by federal agents in 2002 but that the administration had declined any interest in the legislation and advised him that it would probably be unconstitutional, a direct contradiction of much of the later rationale for the NSA warrantless domestic spying program once it was known; Dan Eggen, of ''The Washington Post'', for example, observed that "The DeWine amendment" — "the latest point of contention in a fierce political and legal battle over the NSA monitoring program" — was "first highlighted ... by Internet blogger Glenn Greenwald and widely publicized yesterday by the Project on Government Secrecy, an arm of the Federation of American Scientists...."

In March 2006, Senator Russ Feingold quoted Greenwald's comments in ''Unclaimed Territory'' on the floor of the U.S. Senate when he introduced Senate Resolution 398, to censure President Bush.

In April 2006, ''Unclaimed Territory'' received the 2005 Koufax Award for "Best New Blog".

In February 2008, during a debate over the FISA and Telecom Immunity bill on the floor of the U.S. Senate broadcast on ''C-Span'', Senator Chris Dodd quoted Greenwald's comments posted in ''Unclaimed Territory''.

Salon.com

In February 2007, Greenwald became a contributing writer at ''Salon.com'', and the new column and blog superseded ''Unclaimed Territory'', though ''Salon.com'' prominently features hyperlinks to it in Greenwald's dedicated biographical section.

Joe Klein

In his ''Salon.com'' column of November 21, 2007, Greenwald documented factual errors in a national column written by Joe Klein in ''Time'' magazine. In response to such criticism, ''Time'' subsequently added an intended clarification (or quasi-retraction) in an online version of Klein's disputed column — "In the original version of this story, Joe Klein wrote that the House Democratic version of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) would allow a court review of individual foreign surveillance targets. Republicans believe the bill can be interpreted that way, but Democrats don't." — but Greenwald observed that the text of the legislation does not require court review of individual targets, and ''Time'''s response repeating "what each side says" disregards that point. Pertaining to this controversy, ''Time'' published letters from U.S. Senator Russ Feingold and others in its later issues of the magazine.

Anthrax reporting

In August 2008, following the suicide of terror suspect Bruce Ivins, Greenwald wrote a series of long entries, detailing the evidence that there has been a cover-up by individuals in the US government and ABC News in the 2001 anthrax attacks, calling for "a full-scale Congressional hearing or even an external Commission of the type that investigated the 9/11 attacks – endowed with full subpoena power – to examine all of the unresolved issues here." Greenwald also expressed interest in the identity of the individual who allegedly told ABC News' Brian Ross falsely in 2001 that the anthrax contained bentonite and falsely linking the anthrax attack to Saddam Hussein and argued that the broadcasting of this claim by ABC News was instrumental in guiding the US media and public opinion towards war with Iraq; subsequently, according to Dan Gillmor, who prominently cites and links to Greenwald in an article published in the ''guardian.co.uk'', Brian Ross refused to divulge the identity of the individual who purportedly misled him.

John O. Brennan

After U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's victory in November 2008, the media reported that former CIA official John O. Brennan, who had served as Senator Obama's top intelligence adviser during his 2008 election campaign, was the leading candidate to be named by Obama as either the next Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA) or the next Director of National Intelligence (DNI). In a lengthy essay published in ''Salon.com'', Greenwald argued that Brennan had supported many controversial detention and interrogation policies of the Bush administration, including "enhanced interrogation tactics" and extraordinary rendition. Other notable writers such as Andrew Sullivan credited Greenwald's ''Salon.com'' essay as the impetus for their opposition to Brennan's nomination. On November 24, Brennan wrote a letter to President-elect Obama withdrawing his name from consideration for any top intelligence posts, citing "strong criticism in some quarters." Media reports and other political pundits cited the "firestorm in liberal blogs" as the cause of Brennan's withdrawal.

Bradley Manning

On December 15, 2010, Greenwald broke the story of the detention conditions in which U.S. Army Private Bradley Manning, the accused Wikileaks leaker, was being held. Based on interviews with Manning's visitors and officials at the Marine brig where he was being held, Greenwald reported that the Army Private was being held "under conditions that constitute cruel and inhumane treatment and, by the standards of many nations, even torture": specifically, that he "has been held in intensive solitary confinement. For 23 out of 24 hours every day -- for seven straight months and counting -- he sits completely alone in his cell. Even inside his cell, his activities are heavily restricted; he's barred even from exercising and is under constant surveillance to enforce those restrictions."

Greenwald's reporting ultimately led to a formal investigation by the U.N. high official on torture, denunciations by Amnesty International, and the resignation of State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley after he publicly criticized Manning's detention conditions. Since then, Greenwald has been a strong supporter of Manning. He calls Manning "a whistle-blower acting with the noblest of motives", and "a national hero similar to Daniel Ellsberg."

Hacking of security company HBGary's email servers by Anonymous revealed that as a result of his advocacy on behalf of Manning and WikiLeaks, Greenwald has been targeted in "[a] bizarre plan" — outlined in a report by Palantir Technologies, HBGary Federal and Berico Technologies — "saying that his 'level of support' for WikiLeaks 'needs to be disrupted.'" The report "was developed following a request from Hunton and Williams, a law firm that represents Bank of America, as well as others", and claims that "[w]ithout the support of people like Glenn wikileaks would fold."

Greenwald said his "initial reaction to all of this was to scoff at its absurdity. . . . But after learning a lot more over the last couple of days, I now take this more seriously -- not in terms of my involvement but the broader implications this story highlights." ''Salon.com'' editor-in-chief Kerry Lauerman wrote:

We have no reason not to take the report seriously. As a result, I've asked both Hunton and Williams and Bank of America to explain any role they played and address whether HB Gary (or any of the firms) were being paid, or promised payment, for its development. . . .

As bumbling as this whole saga sounds — Internet security firm can't keep its shadowy dirty tricks campaign from being hacked — what's outlined in these sets of proposals, as Glenn points out, "quite possibly constitutes serious crimes." And as it relates to Glenn and the others, it constitutes an unconscionable attempt to silence journalists doing their jobs.

Books

Greenwald's first book, ''How Would a Patriot Act? Defending American Values From a President Run Amok'', published by Working Assets, in 2006, was a New York Times bestseller and ranked number one on Amazon.com both before its publication due to pre-orders based on attention from other bloggers and for several days after its release, ending its first week at number 293.

''A Tragic Legacy'', his second book, aims to examine the presidency of George W. Bush "with an emphasis on his personality traits and beliefs that drove the presidency (along with an emphasis on how and why those personality traits have led to a presidency that has failed to historic proportions)." Published in hardback by Crown, a division of Random House, on June 26, 2007, and later reprinted in a paperback edition by Three Rivers Press on April 8, 2008, it also appeared on "The New York Times Best Seller List" after its original release and was ranked number one for a day on Amazon.com's "Non-Fiction Best Seller List", before becoming number two the next day, also due to heavy "discussions and promotions by blogs – a campaign catalyzed by Jane Hamsher [at ''FireDogLake'']", according to Greenwald.

His third book, entitled ''Great American Hypocrites'', was published by Random House in April 2008, the same month that Three Rivers Press reissued ''A Tragic Legacy'' in paperback.

Media appearances

Greenwald has appeared as a roundtable guest on ABC's Sunday morning news show "This Week", NPR's "All Things Considered", as well as numerous times on C-SPAN's ''Washington Journal''; Pacifica Radio's syndicated series ''Democracy Now!'' with Amy Goodman; on Public Radio International's ''To the Point''; MSNBC's ''The Rachel Maddow Show'', "Morning Joe" and Dylan Ratigan's "Morning Meeting"; Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume; and ''The Colbert Report''. Greenwald has also become a regular guest on PBS's ''Bill Moyers Journal''., and is a regular guest on the Hugh Hewitt Show, and was a friend and favorite guest of Hewitt's frequent guest host, Dean Barnett.

Popularity

On August 24, 2008, the day before the start of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, which was held in Denver, Colorado, Dan Amira of ''New York'' magazine ranked Greenwald as number 36 in his list of "top 40" most popular American political pundits.

On January 22, 2009, ''Forbes'' named Greenwald one of the "25 Most Influential Liberals in the U.S. Media". The magazine placed him at number eighteen, just below Hendrik Hertzberg and just ahead of Andrew Sullivan.

On July 6, 2009, former MSNBC host Dan Abrams launched a new site, Mediaite, reporting on media figures. The site ranked all print and online columnists in America by influence. Greenwald was ranked # 9, immediately behind Charles Krauthammer.

In August 2009, the Web search engine Technorati ranked Glenn Greenwald's ''Salon.com'' blog as number 45 in its "Top 100" list of "the most popular 100 blogs based on Technorati Authority" (in its case, 2,056 blog links in the past six months).

In November 2009, The Atlantic launched a new site, TheAtlanticWire.com, and named America's 50 most influential political pundits ("The Atlantic 50"). Greenwald was ranked #22 on the list.

Notes

References

: "Glenn Greenwald Exposes Frank Gaffney". ''Crooks and Liars'', February 16, 2007. [Includes 3-part MP3 clip of radio interview broadcast on the ''Alan Colmes Show'', on Fox News Radio, during which Greenwald debates Frank Gaffney.] : "Glenn Greenwald on Joe Klein, Dave Tomlin on Bilal Hussein". ''Counterspin'', November 30, 2007 – December 6, 2007. Accessed December 12, 2008. [ MP3 clips hosted on ''Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting'' (FAIR).] : Bernstein, Fred A., "Glenn Greenwald: Life Beyond Borders". ''Out magazine'', April 19, 2011. Accessed April 20, 2011. : Goodman, Amy."Great American Hypocrites: Glenn Greenwald on the Corporate Media's Failures in the 2008 Race. ''Democracy Now!'', Pacifica Radio, April 18, 2008. Accessed December 12, 2008. ("We speak with Glenn Greenwald, author of ''Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics''. [includes rush transcript].") : –––. "Obama Adviser Cass Sunstein Debates Glenn Greenwald". ''Democracy Now!'', Pacifica Radio, July 22, 2008. Accessed December 13, 2008. (Includes rush transcript.) : Greenwald, Glenn. "Book Forum: A Tragic Legacy: How a Good vs. Evil Mentality Destroyed the Bush Presidency". ''Cato Institute'', August 7, 2007. [Panel discussion featuring Greenwald, "with comments by Lee Casey, Partner, Baker Hostetler." (Hyperlinked MP3 podcast and RealVideo formats.)] : –––. "Media: Glenn Greenwald at YearlyKos". ''Salon.com'', August 7, 2007. Accessed December 13, 2008. [Video segment from Glenn Greenwald's panel at YearlyKos 2007, "where he stresses the continued need for adversarial, skeptical reporting." ("VideoDog" format.)] : Pitney, Nico. "A Secure America: Video: Glenn Greenwald Debates Spying Program On C-Span". Online posting of clip of program broadcast on C-SPAN, February 6, 2006. ThinkProgress.com, February 6, 2006. Accessed December 12, 2008. [Greenwald debates University of Virginia law professor Robert Turner.] : Silverstein, Ken. "Six Questions for Glenn Greenwald on Campaign Coverage". ''Harper's Magazine'', February 21, 2008. Accessed December 12, 2008. : Singal, Jesse, and Glenn Greenwald. "On Terrorism, Civil Rights, and Building a Blog". ''Campus Progress'', September 17, 2007. Accessed December 12, 2008. [Interview.] : Greenwald, Glenn. "Civil liberties under Obama". ''International Socialist Organization'', July 3, 2011. Accessed July 7, 2011. [Video.]

Bibliography

: Greenwald, Glenn. ''Great American Hypocrites: Toppling the Big Myths of Republican Politics''. New York: Random House, 2008. ISBN 0-307-40802-7 (10). ISBN 978-0-307-40802-0 (13). (Also available as an E-book.) : –––. ''How Would a Patriot Act? Defending American Values From A President Run Amok''. San Francisco: Working Assets (Distrib. by Publishers Group West), 2006. ISBN 0-9779440-0-X (10). ISBN 978-0-9779440-0-2 (13). : –––. ''A Tragic Legacy: How a Good vs. Evil Mentality Destroyed the Bush Presidency''. New York: Crown (Div. of Random House), 2007. ISBN 0-307-35419-9 (10). ISBN 978-0-307-35419-8 (13). (Hardback ed.) Three Rivers Press, 2008. ISBN 0-307-35428-8 (10). ISBN 978-0-307-35428-0 (13). (Paperback ed.) : –––. ''With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law Is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful''. Metropolitan Books (Div. of Henry Holt and Company), 2011. ISBN 0-8050-9205-6 (10). ISBN 978-0-8050-9205-9 (13).

External links

"Glenn Greenwald" – Glenn Greenwald's column and blog hosted on ''Salon.com''.

''Unclaimed Territory'', by Glenn Greenwald – Previous personal blog hosted on ''Blogspot.com''; superseded by and moved to Greenwald's ''Salon.com'' column and blog on February 12, 2007

Category:American bloggers Category:American media critics Category:American political writers Category:New York lawyers Category:George Washington University alumni Category:LGBT writers from the United States Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:American online journalists Category:American emigrants to Brazil Category:New York University School of Law alumni

pt:Glenn Greenwald

Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
Name	Dan Eldon
Birth name	Daniel Robert Eldon
Birth date	September 18, 1970
Birth place	Hampstead, London, England, U.K.
Death date	July 12, 1993
Death place	Mogadishu, Somalia
Other names	}}

Daniel Robert Eldon (18 September 1970 – 12 July 1993) was an English photojournalist. He and three colleagues were killed by an angry mob in Mogadishu. He left behind a series of journals, which his family has exhibited on a worldwide tour.

Biography

Early life

Dan Eldon was born in London on 18 September 1970. When he was seven years old, Eldon and his three-year-old sister Amy moved to Nairobi, Kenya with their parents, Kathy and Mike Eldon. The couple later divorced; Mike Eldon is now married a Kenyan woman, Evelyn Mungai Eldon.

In Kenya, Dan Eldon attended a British school, but soon convinced his parents to transfer him to the International School of Kenya.

In 1982, an attempted coup in Kenya put Eldon and his family in the midst of political upheaval. Eldon witnessed firsthand the events surrounding the coup and was around to experience its aftermath. Eldon joined his mother, a journalist in Kenya at the time, as she was assigned to stories in the local area. Soon Eldon was taking pictures, which were used in the local newspapers.

At fourteen, Eldon started a fund-raising campaign for open-heart surgery to save the life of Atieno, a young Kenyan girl. Together with his sister and friends, he raised $5,000 but, due to the hospital's neglect, Atieno died.

At around fifteen, Eldon helped support a Maasai family by buying their handmade jewelry, later selling it to fellow students and friends. It was during this time he started to create journals filled with collages, photographs, and drawings. He often used satire and cartoons as commentary. He kept the journals as personal statements, which he shared with only a few people.

In 1988, he graduated from the International School of Kenya, winning the International Relations and Community Service awards. Voted most outstanding student, he addressed his class, emphasizing the importance of crossing cultural barriers and caring for others.

Travel

Throughout his life Eldon traveled extensively, visiting 46 countries. In addition, he studied seven languages in and out of school.

In the autumn of 1988, Eldon began his “year off” before college. He called it a “year on”; for him, it felt more challenging than college. He left Kenya for a job at ''Madamoiselle'' magazine in New York.

In January Eldon enrolled in Pasadena Community College, California. That summer, he and a friend researched a journey that would lead Eldon and a group of young people from Nairobi to Malawi, driving a Land Rover across five countries. They found that staying in local jails was the safest solution to security problems, and often spent the night locked up in cells to the amusement of the prison guards.

With the information he had obtained on his trip, Eldon, who had transferred to UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), set up a charity named Student Transport Aid. This attracted the interest of local TV television stations and newspapers. With the help of fifteen friends, he raised $25,000 for a venture to a refugee camp in Malawi. The friends, representing six countries, met in Nairobi and traveled thousands of miles in three vehicles. There, they donated one of their vehicles to the Save the Children Fund, as well as money for three wells, and blankets for a children’s hospital.

Eldon returned to UCLA in the autumn of 1990 and began to plan another venture, which necessitated a move to London in January. He attended Richmond College, meanwhile, and purchased another Land Rover for a trip to Morocco that summer. He aimed to buy bracelets and belts to sell in America for Student Transport Aid. He was attacked by Moroccan thieves and delayed by Land Rover malfunctions. He spent a fitful summer in Marrakesh, before arriving home in time to ship $5,000 worth of goods to America, which he sold on the beaches of Southern California.

In 1991, he returned to UCLA for one semester, all the time planning his next trip, which was to be across the Sahara. Early in 1992, he moved to Mt. Vernon, Iowa, to attend classes at Cornell College.

Film career

In April of that year, Eldon flew to Kenya, where he worked as a third assistant director on a feature film, ''Lost in Africa''. As the most junior person on the production crew, he was often awake at 5:00 a.m., and was usually the last in bed.

During the summer of 1992, the famine in Somalia raged. Eldon flew to the Kenyan refugee camps. The international news agency, Reuters, spotted his work, and he was soon working for the company, shooting the increasingly desperate situation. He followed the story closely and was present at the U.S. Marine landing, where a barrage of international photographers and journalists were waiting for the American soldiers as they left their landing craft in Mogadishu.

Eldon stayed in Mogadishu through the spring. During this time, Eldon's pictures were featured in newspapers and magazines around the world. On 12 June 1993, his photo made a double-page spread in ''Newsweek'' magazine, as well as the covers of newspapers everywhere. Meanwhile, Pakistani peace keepers died, making the conflict an international incident, the violence and horror of which was very hard on Eldon. He was nickednamed ''Warsame, Mayor of Mogadishu'' by Mogadishans for his friendliness.

Death

Despite having “had enough” by June, Eldon stayed to cover events. On 12 July 1993, he, Hos Maina, Anthony Macharia, and Hansi Krauss covered the United Nations raid to arrest Clan Leader Aidid at a house he was believed to have been occupying; instead, 74 innocent men, women and children, were killed and more than 100 wounded. Survivors of the raid went to the journalists' hotel requesting them to take pictures. In a convoy, under the protection of Somalis, Eldon and a group of colleagues went to the bombed area. As they began to take photographs, a mob angry at what had happened attacked the journalists. Eldon and his colleagues Hansi Krauss, Anthony Macharia, and Hos Maina were stoned and beaten to death.

Film adaptation

It was announced in the ''New York Times'' on 28 December 2007, that Eldon will be the focus of a biopic entitled ''The Journey Is The Destination''. Bronwen Hughes will direct the screenplay written by Jan Sardi. Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame is cast as Dan Eldon. Filming will be in Kenya. By 2010 there had been no filming, but Julia Roberts' company Red Om Films is now intending to start production.

References

Books

Category:1970 births Category:1993 deaths Category:People from Hampstead Category:English photojournalists Category:English journalists Category:English photographers Category:Journalists killed while covering military conflicts Category:British people murdered abroad Category:People murdered in Somalia Category:Murdered journalists Category:Journalists killed in Somalia Category:Alumni of the International School of Kenya

pl:Dan Eldon uk:Ден Елдон