Interesting. If it indeed is a new venture, which seems likely, where's the money coming from? Benevolent billionaire?
Readers pay a single $5 a month fee, but get access to everything on platform (Over 40 professional journalists). Example of an article http://www.beaconreader.com/eric-randolph/what-one-refugee-s...
Beacon is a weak word, and Beacon Reader flows really poorly. It doesn't convey impactful journalism. It'd be proper for the #3 newspaper in Sioux Falls (if there were such a thing).
My two cents for what they're worth.
I would expect the organization to uncover wrongdoing irrespective of political affiliation or national origin. I'd expect it to push extremely hard for transparency, forcing transparency where possible. Any news organization that leaves no rocks unturned where people can hide their weaseling is awesome in my book.
Basically, I'd pay very good money for an investigative news org with journalistic might equivalent to the military might of US Armed Forces.
People in politics, finance and all sorts of equivalently powerful organizations need to feel as naked and vulnerable from and information security perspective as we do after learning about myriad NSA surveillance programs.
In his interview with Smith, Greenwald said it would have major financial backing and would have hubs in New York City, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco. He disclosed no further details, but called the venture "momentous" and said it will be "be unveiled very shortly.”
What is hard to get is brand recognition and mainstream credibility, which you can't get unless you break something extraordinary like CNN did in Gulf War I and Al-Jazeera in the post-2001 invasions. Greenwald's name should help in that regard.
1) DHH is a huge fan of Greenwald and very political.
2) Peter Thiel likes to make bold bets in the future of our culture (e.g. Ron Paul donation).
Paul and Greenwald are only on opposite teams if you believe in myopic labels like conservative vs. liberal (respectively). They're both ardent civil libertarians, and in Greenwald's case, that's the biggest part of his platform. Paul not so much, but it's still a major part.