5 ms·

Glenn Greenwald's news site, The Intercept, is up

169 points by kseistrup 13y ago

gkoberger 13y ago
I was really hoping for something... more. This looks like a mediocre blog template, not "the future of journalism on the web". (I don't think anyone's actually claimed it will be, but given Greenwald's track record -- even before Snowden -- I was hoping it would be.) The second article (https://firstlook.org/theintercept/article/2014/02/10/new-photos-of-nsa-and-others/ https://firstlook.org/theintercept/article/2014/02/10/new-ph...) is a bit closer to what I had imagined, although the lack of cohesion across the site leaves a lot to be desired. At the end of the day, though, I guess the only thing that matters is the words.
- logn 13y ago
  I think their new direction for journalism is not about design aesthetics. It's about journalistic integrity and a business model that supports it.
- kome 13y ago
  The Finger and the Moon.
- dameyawn 13y ago
  I'm sure the UI will improve over time. What's important is hopefully a truly independent investigative news source with legit journalists!
- Ronsenshi 13y ago
  I am glad that they are focusing on the content itself instead of fancy stuff. Websites like The Verge or Polygon were exciting at first, but all that flair and gradients got old really soon. I'd like to concentrate on words instead. Sprinkle couple of images related to the text and i'll be very happy. P.S.: I do think that Intercept could be a little bit more solid, less generic design-wise with its own style.
  - dublinben 13y ago
    I can't even read the Verge except for their mobile site. The desktop experience is so heavy and bloated, that I just leave before finding the article I want to read.
- watwut 13y ago
  Glen Greenwald is more journalist then designer or css guru. When he brags about "the future of journalism on the web" he means content.
- kubiiii 13y ago
  I do think that the appearance of this new media matters. If not, why using a template at all? Or even pictures? Only the words matters, thats why the presentation should not be distracting and using a random template is.
- toyg 13y ago
  I'm more disappointed by the apparent lack of a business model, beyond the usual Mecenate/sugar-daddy relationship with Omidyar. He's starting from scratch, in 2014, with a talented group of young guns, a huge trove of stories and a lot of publicity... he has a chance at really defining something innovative for the industry, beyond fancy graphics and hard-hitting content in the same old package. I hope they have better plans for the near future.
  - ceejayoz 13y ago
    The revenue model is currently "we don't care, Omidyar has committed to spending at least the $250M he didn't spend on the Washington Post". At their current staffing, that probably goes quite a ways.
- rquantz 13y ago
  Adding to the chorus of people who disagree with you, I'd like to also say that this was put up very quickly. I'm sure when time permits they'll build out the front end further.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- a3n 13y ago
  MVP?
- cylinder 13y ago
  The comments also threaten to derail the project. Conspiracy theorists abound and not really any filtering system to bring good comments above the fray. I'm not really sure why these articles even need user comments. They make the site feel like Infowars.
axefrog 13y ago
Now that Glenn Greenwald has pretty much only himself to answer to, it'll be interesting to see what he publishes that he might not have, had he stayed at The Guardian. I'm a little concerned that his domain name firstlook.org is hosted through GoDaddy. Anything particularly damning could have authorities asking GoDaddy to take his domain from him, and the fact that his servers are hosted in California provides a second potential point of government interference.
- amirmc 13y ago
  Greenwald's been asked, given how things seem to be, whether he would set things up outside the US. ISTR he stated that the Constitution (and First Amendment) still exist and the US is the most appropriate place for the NewCo. I think it was in an interview with Kirsty Wark for Newsnight. EDIT: I misremembered the exact words as he actually comments on press freedom in the US. Here's the point in the interview. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=f1Zvo8N3G94#t=599 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=f1Z...
  - dublinben 13y ago
    The US might be a good place for the servers, but GoDaddy has proven to be an unreliable registrar in the past. They should at least be using a provider that supports a free internet.
- jonknee 13y ago
  I'm sure he's got backup servers. He's also got a multibillionaire backer, a great counterpoint to government interference.
  - leobelle 13y ago
    How does a backup server help you with a domain name registrar taking your domain away? And how does it help you with government interference? What?
    - 13y ago
morkbot 13y ago
Seems that Hacker News' duplicate detection is seriously flawed, this was a huge story yesterday: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7209397 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7209397
- hayksaakian 13y ago
  Slash at the end, in one, and not the other. You could make the case that these would represent different resources on some sites, although your point is correct.
genderup 13y ago
FirstLook plans to earn money by selling technology solutions rather than through its journalism (which is not for profit). With that in mind, one would have expected something a little more 'innovative' on the technology side for their first publication.
MysticFear 13y ago
I would love to see more serious news sites use tipping with cryptocurrencies. I think it would benefit their bottom lines and help them become sustainable.
a3n 13y ago
Notice the staff's about pages. They include public keys and other security artifacts. That's different. https://firstlook.org/theintercept/staff/peter-maass/ https://firstlook.org/theintercept/staff/peter-maass/
- dublinben 13y ago
  >That's different. Maybe for a media organization. Not for a technology organization. https://www.fsf.org/about/staff-and-board/ https://www.fsf.org/about/staff-and-board/
jere 13y ago
> The editorial independence of our journalists will be guaranteed. They will be encouraged to pursue their passions, cultivate a unique voice, and publish stories without regard to whom they might anger or alienate. When we speak about guarantees here it usually has a stronger meaning, but even so, how could one guarantee anything like this?
skywhopper 13y ago
HTTPS by default with a good score from SSLLabs[1], a SecureDrop implementation, and public keys posted for all of their staff. They clearly are taking this seriously. Good for them. [1] https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=firstlook.org https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=firstlook.org
- dmix 13y ago
  They are also looking into replacing Google Analytics with an open alternative, such as Piwik. https://twitter.com/the_intercept/status/432970191308218368 https://twitter.com/the_intercept/status/432970191308218368
sshconnection 13y ago
Someone should help him out with thumbnails...

169 points by kseistrup 13y ago

I was really hoping for something... more. This looks like a mediocre blog template, not "the future of journalism on the web". (I don't think anyone's actually claimed it will be, but given Greenwald's track record -- even before Snowden -- I was hoping it would be.) The second article (https://firstlook.org/theintercept/article/2014/02/10/new-photos-of-nsa-and-others/ https://firstlook.org/theintercept/article/2014/02/10/new-ph...) is a bit closer to what I had imagined, although the lack of cohesion across the site leaves a lot to be desired. At the end of the day, though, I guess the only thing that matters is the words.

logn 13y ago
I think their new direction for journalism is not about design aesthetics. It's about journalistic integrity and a business model that supports it.
kome 13y ago
The Finger and the Moon.
dameyawn 13y ago
I'm sure the UI will improve over time. What's important is hopefully a truly independent investigative news source with legit journalists!
Ronsenshi 13y ago
I am glad that they are focusing on the content itself instead of fancy stuff. Websites like The Verge or Polygon were exciting at first, but all that flair and gradients got old really soon. I'd like to concentrate on words instead. Sprinkle couple of images related to the text and i'll be very happy. P.S.: I do think that Intercept could be a little bit more solid, less generic design-wise with its own style.
- dublinben 13y ago
  I can't even read the Verge except for their mobile site. The desktop experience is so heavy and bloated, that I just leave before finding the article I want to read.
watwut 13y ago
Glen Greenwald is more journalist then designer or css guru. When he brags about "the future of journalism on the web" he means content.
kubiiii 13y ago
I do think that the appearance of this new media matters. If not, why using a template at all? Or even pictures? Only the words matters, thats why the presentation should not be distracting and using a random template is.
toyg 13y ago
I'm more disappointed by the apparent lack of a business model, beyond the usual Mecenate/sugar-daddy relationship with Omidyar. He's starting from scratch, in 2014, with a talented group of young guns, a huge trove of stories and a lot of publicity... he has a chance at really defining something innovative for the industry, beyond fancy graphics and hard-hitting content in the same old package. I hope they have better plans for the near future.
- ceejayoz 13y ago
  The revenue model is currently "we don't care, Omidyar has committed to spending at least the $250M he didn't spend on the Washington Post". At their current staffing, that probably goes quite a ways.
rquantz 13y ago
Adding to the chorus of people who disagree with you, I'd like to also say that this was put up very quickly. I'm sure when time permits they'll build out the front end further.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
a3n 13y ago
MVP?
cylinder 13y ago
The comments also threaten to derail the project. Conspiracy theorists abound and not really any filtering system to bring good comments above the fray. I'm not really sure why these articles even need user comments. They make the site feel like Infowars.

axefrog 13y ago

Now that Glenn Greenwald has pretty much only himself to answer to, it'll be interesting to see what he publishes that he might not have, had he stayed at The Guardian. I'm a little concerned that his domain name firstlook.org is hosted through GoDaddy. Anything particularly damning could have authorities asking GoDaddy to take his domain from him, and the fact that his servers are hosted in California provides a second potential point of government interference.

amirmc 13y ago
Greenwald's been asked, given how things seem to be, whether he would set things up outside the US. ISTR he stated that the Constitution (and First Amendment) still exist and the US is the most appropriate place for the NewCo. I think it was in an interview with Kirsty Wark for Newsnight. EDIT: I misremembered the exact words as he actually comments on press freedom in the US. Here's the point in the interview. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=f1Zvo8N3G94#t=599 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=f1Z...
- dublinben 13y ago
  The US might be a good place for the servers, but GoDaddy has proven to be an unreliable registrar in the past. They should at least be using a provider that supports a free internet.
jonknee 13y ago
I'm sure he's got backup servers. He's also got a multibillionaire backer, a great counterpoint to government interference.
- leobelle 13y ago
  How does a backup server help you with a domain name registrar taking your domain away? And how does it help you with government interference? What?
  - 13y ago

morkbot 13y ago

Seems that Hacker News' duplicate detection is seriously flawed, this was a huge story yesterday: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7209397 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7209397

hayksaakian 13y ago
Slash at the end, in one, and not the other. You could make the case that these would represent different resources on some sites, although your point is correct.

genderup 13y ago

FirstLook plans to earn money by selling technology solutions rather than through its journalism (which is not for profit). With that in mind, one would have expected something a little more 'innovative' on the technology side for their first publication.

MysticFear 13y ago

I would love to see more serious news sites use tipping with cryptocurrencies. I think it would benefit their bottom lines and help them become sustainable.

a3n 13y ago

Notice the staff's about pages. They include public keys and other security artifacts. That's different. https://firstlook.org/theintercept/staff/peter-maass/ https://firstlook.org/theintercept/staff/peter-maass/

dublinben 13y ago
>That's different. Maybe for a media organization. Not for a technology organization. https://www.fsf.org/about/staff-and-board/ https://www.fsf.org/about/staff-and-board/

jere 13y ago

> The editorial independence of our journalists will be guaranteed. They will be encouraged to pursue their passions, cultivate a unique voice, and publish stories without regard to whom they might anger or alienate. When we speak about guarantees here it usually has a stronger meaning, but even so, how could one guarantee anything like this?

skywhopper 13y ago

HTTPS by default with a good score from SSLLabs[1], a SecureDrop implementation, and public keys posted for all of their staff. They clearly are taking this seriously. Good for them. [1] https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=firstlook.org https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=firstlook.org

dmix 13y ago
They are also looking into replacing Google Analytics with an open alternative, such as Piwik. https://twitter.com/the_intercept/status/432970191308218368 https://twitter.com/the_intercept/status/432970191308218368

sshconnection 13y ago

Someone should help him out with thumbnails...