1. Overview
Jeremy Scahill (born 1974) is a prominent American investigative journalist, author, and activist, known for his critical reporting on issues of power, war, and social justice. He is a co-founder and former editor of the online news publication The Intercept and, more recently, a co-founder of Drop Site News. Scahill has authored several influential books, including the acclaimed Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, which earned him a George Polk Book Award. His subsequent work, Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield, was adapted into an Academy Award-nominated documentary film. Scahill's career has been characterized by deep dives into controversial topics such as private military contractors, covert drone warfare, and governmental accountability, often challenging official narratives and advocating for human rights.
2. Early Life and Education
Scahill was born on October 18, 1974, in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. His parents, Lisa and Michael Scahill, were both nurses and dedicated social activists, fostering an early environment of engagement with social issues. He graduated from Wauwatosa East High School in 1992.
After high school, Scahill attended several University of Wisconsin regional campuses and a local technical college. However, he ultimately decided to leave college, believing his time would be better spent directly engaging in the "struggle for justice" within the country. Following his departure from academia, Scahill spent several years on the East Coast, working in homeless shelters. His career in journalism began as an unpaid intern at the non-profit news program Democracy Now!, a part of the Pacifica Radio network. Through this experience, he gained practical knowledge in the technical aspects of radio and learned journalism as a trade rather than through formal academic study. Scahill often cites figures like Daniel Berrigan, a radical Catholic priest, and Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement, as inspirations for his activism, emphasizing Day's approach of living "as though the truth were true."
3. Early Career and Journalism Beginnings
Jeremy Scahill's early career laid the groundwork for his future as a distinguished investigative reporter, marked by significant contributions to independent media and early ventures into documentary production.
3.1. Work at Democracy Now!
Scahill became a senior producer and correspondent for Democracy Now!, a daily news program, and has remained a frequent contributor. In 1998, he and his Democracy Now! colleague, Amy Goodman, were co-recipients of a George Polk Award for their radio documentary titled "Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship." This investigative piece meticulously examined the Chevron Corporation's role in the killing of two Nigerian environmental activists, bringing international attention to corporate complicity in human rights abuses. Later that year, Scahill traveled to Iraq to report for Democracy Now! and Pacifica Radio, where he focused on the severe impact of economic sanctions on the Iraqi populace and the consequences of "No-Fly Zone" bombings in Northern and Southern Iraq. During the onset of the Iraq War in 2003, Scahill frequently appeared on Democracy Now!, often co-hosting alongside Amy Goodman, providing crucial on-the-ground reporting from Baghdad.
3.2. Collaboration with Michael Moore
In 2000, Scahill expanded his media involvement by working as a producer for Michael Moore's television series The Awful Truth, which aired on the Bravo network. This collaboration showcased his early engagement in documentary production and media activism aimed at exposing societal injustices.
4. Investigative Journalism and Media Ventures
Scahill's career evolved significantly with his deepened commitment to investigative journalism and his instrumental role in establishing and leading independent media platforms designed to challenge conventional narratives and expose hidden truths.
4.1. Co-founding The Intercept
In October 2013, Jeremy Scahill joined renowned journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras to establish a new online investigative journalism venture. This initiative was financially backed by eBay billionaire Pierre Omidyar, who expressed concerns about press freedoms globally. The publication, named The Intercept, which operates under First Look Media, officially launched on February 10, 2014. Initially, its primary objective was to publish reports derived from the classified documents disclosed by whistleblower Edward Snowden concerning the NSA. Beyond this immediate goal, the editors-Greenwald, Poitras, and Scahill-articulated a broader, long-term mission: to conduct aggressive, independent, and adversarial journalism across a diverse range of critical issues. These issues include secrecy, abuses within the criminal and civil justice systems, violations of civil liberties, media conduct, societal inequality, and all forms of financial and political corruption.
4.2. Co-founding Drop Site News
In July 2024, Scahill announced his departure from The Intercept. He subsequently co-founded a new media outlet called Drop Site News alongside journalist Ryan Grim and Nausicaa Renner. This new venture aims to continue their commitment to independent and critical journalism.
5. Major Books
Jeremy Scahill is the author of several influential books that have significantly shaped public discourse on critical issues, combining extensive investigative depth with a critical perspective on global power dynamics.
5.1. Blackwater
Scahill's first book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, became a The New York Times bestseller upon its release in 2007. A thoroughly revised and updated paperback edition was released in 2008, notably including an account of the infamous Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad. The book provides a detailed exposé of the controversial private military contracting firm Blackwater, tracing its origins, operations, and immense influence.
Scahill's reporting on Blackwater's activities extended beyond the book, notably his revelations about the presence of Blackwater contractors in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. This specific investigation spurred a Congressional inquiry and an internal investigation by the United States Department of Homeland Security. The book received widespread critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including the Alternet Best Book of the Year Award, inclusion on both the Barnes & Noble and Amazon lists of Best Nonfiction Books of 2007, and notable mention in The New York Times. It also earned Scahill a George Polk Book Award.
5.2. Dirty Wars
Scahill's book Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield was published by Nation Books on April 23, 2013. The central premise of the book examines how the administration of President Barack Obama continued and expanded upon the George W. Bush administration's doctrine that "the world is a battlefield." This approach relies heavily on covert operations, including missile and drone warfare and targeted killings carried out by the JSOC, against suspected terrorists.
The book delves into sensitive topics such as the assassination of U.S. citizens, specifically citing the cases of Anwar al-Awlaki and his 16-year-old son, Abdulrahman Anwar al-Awlaki. It also highlights the troubling lack of accountability surrounding U.S. special forces operations, exemplified by the Gardez massacre in Afghanistan. In this incident, U.S. special forces killed two males, including a pro-U.S. local police commander, along with three females, two of whom were pregnant. An Afghan investigation later revealed signs of evidence tampering, such as bullets being removed from the wall where the women were shot, and several family members alleged that special forces used knives to dig bullets out of bodies and cleaned the wounds to obscure evidence of the U.S. raid.
Concurrently with the book's release, a documentary film adaptation premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2013, winning the cinematography award in the domestic documentary category. Directed by Richard Rowley, with a screenplay written by Scahill and David Riker, Scahill himself produced and narrated the film. Dirty Wars was subsequently nominated for the 2014 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, though it ultimately lost to 20 Feet from Stardom.
6. Key Investigative Reporting and Critical Commentary
Jeremy Scahill's extensive career in investigative journalism is marked by consistent, critical reporting on global conflicts, human rights abuses, and governmental accountability, often challenging official narratives and bringing overlooked stories to light.
6.1. Reporting on Kosovo Conflict
In 1999, Scahill provided on-the-ground coverage of the Kosovo conflict, reporting live from Belgrade and within Kosovo itself. He was a vocal critic of the UNMIK, accusing the mission of complicity in atrocities committed by Albanians against Serbs.
A notable incident occurred in 1999 when Scahill and Amy Goodman's documentary, "Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship," was honored with a prize from the Overseas Press Club. The keynote speaker at the ceremony was Richard Holbrooke, a significant proponent of the Kosovo War. To the applause of attendees, Holbrooke announced the NATO bombing of the Radio Television of Serbia building, which resulted in the deaths of 16 media workers. Scahill and Goodman were the sole voices of protest at the event, attempting to question Holbrooke, who refused to engage. In response, they publicly rejected the prize. In 2019, Scahill formally apologized to the victims' family members on behalf of the U.S. government, explicitly condemning the bombing as a war crime.
Following the death of Slobodan Milošević in 2006, Scahill criticized the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), labeling its proceedings as "victors' justice" and an inadequate substitute for a truly international court.
6.2. Reporting on the War on Terror
Between 2001 and 2003, Scahill frequently reported from Baghdad for Democracy Now! and other media outlets. His work has taken him to numerous conflict zones and areas affected by U.S. foreign policy, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, the former Yugoslavia, and post-Hurricane Katrina Louisiana.
Scahill has consistently been a prominent critic of private military contractors, particularly Blackwater Worldwide, which became the subject of his critically acclaimed book. In 2010, he provided powerful testimony before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee on the United States' "shadow wars" in Pakistan, Yemen, and other regions. He argued that these covert operations, waged with minimal Congressional oversight or journalistic scrutiny, reflected a strategy to "kill our way to peace," resulting in an increasing number of "killing fields."
In July 2011, Scahill exposed the existence of a CIA-run counterterrorism center at the airport in Mogadishu, Somalia. He also reported on a previously undisclosed secret prison located in the basement of the U.S.-funded Somali National Security Agency, where, according to a U.S. official, American agents interrogated prisoners. When the public became aware of President Obama's "Kill List" - a list of individuals designated for targeted killing - Scahill was frequently sought as an expert on the topic of extrajudicial killings. Despite his overall critical stance on U.S. foreign policy, in 2019, Scahill controversially suggested that Donald Trump might represent "the best hope that we've had since 9/11 to end some of these forever wars."
6.3. Advocacy for Abdulelah Haider Shaye
Jeremy Scahill has been a vocal advocate for Abdulelah Haider Shaye, a Yemeni journalist who has been imprisoned. In a March 13, 2012, article in The Nation, Scahill reported that President Barack Obama exerted pressure on Yemen to keep Shaye incarcerated. According to Scahill, this pressure was a direct consequence of Shaye's independent reporting on the 2009 Al Ma'jalah bombings. Shaye had reported finding remnants of U.S. Tomahawk missiles at the site, even though the United States initially denied its involvement in the airstrike. Scahill's investigative work has been foundational for subsequent English-language reports on Shaye's case.
6.4. Criticism of Israel-Hamas War
Scahill has been an outspoken and fierce critic of Israel's military actions in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. Writing for The Intercept, Scahill has argued that the October 7 attacks were not an isolated event but rather a direct consequence of a 75-year campaign by Israel involving what he describes as "ethnic cleansing and apartheid" in Gaza. He has asserted that the primary agenda of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long been the "absolute destruction of Palestine and its people."
On October 19, 2024, during a guest appearance on MSNBC with anchor Ayman Mohyeldin, Scahill publicly accused the network of promoting Israeli propaganda by hosting individuals who disseminated such narratives.
7. Stances and Controversies
Jeremy Scahill's career has also been defined by his steadfast public stances on critical social and political issues, alongside notable controversies that have shaped his public profile and reinforced his commitment to journalistic ethics.
In November 2013, Scahill refused to participate in a Stop the War Conference in London unless Mother Agnes, a Syrian nun, was removed from the symposium. Mother Agnes subsequently withdrew from the event. In February 2017, Scahill canceled his scheduled appearance on Real Time with Bill Maher after discovering that Milo Yiannopoulos was also slated to appear on the same program, demonstrating his unwillingness to share a platform with controversial figures.
Scahill has been a staunch critic of the U.S. government's decision to charge WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange under the Espionage Act of 1917 for his role in the 2010 publication of a trove of Iraq War documents and diplomatic cables. Scahill publicly stated that these charges represented retaliation for publishing evidence of U.S. war crimes and other offenses by a powerful nation, deeming it a fundamental "threat to press freedom."
His work also intersected with the case of intelligence analyst Daniel Everette Hale. On May 9, 2019, Hale was arrested for leaking classified information to a reporter. Although the reporter was not explicitly named in the indictment, evidence planned for use at trial included a photograph of Hale publicly meeting Scahill at a book promotion event, text messages from Hale to a friend describing meeting Scahill, and emails exchanged between Scahill and Hale before they transitioned to encrypted communication methods. Hale's lawyer, Jesselyn Radack, characterized the Hale case as an "utter failure of source protection," highlighting concerns about source confidentiality in journalistic endeavors.
8. Awards and Recognition
Jeremy Scahill has received numerous prestigious awards and recognitions throughout his distinguished career in investigative journalism, underscoring his significant contributions to the field:
- George Polk Award: Scahill has been awarded the George Polk Award twice. The first was in 1998, shared with Amy Goodman, for their radio documentary "Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship." The second was a George Polk Book Award for his bestselling book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army.
- Project Censored Awards: He has received multiple Project Censored Awards, which recognize independent journalism on critical issues that mainstream media often underreports.
- Izzy Award: In 2010, Scahill was honored with the Izzy Award for Independent Media, named after the influential investigative journalist I.F. Stone.
- Golden Reel Award: In 2003, his story on the emptying of Abu Ghraib prison under Saddam Hussein's regime, a period when he was among the few Western reporters to gain access, earned him a Golden Reel Award from The National Federation of Community Broadcasters.
- Windham-Campbell Literature Prize: In 2013, Scahill was awarded the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize, one of the world's most lucrative literary awards, which recognized his exceptional writing.
- Type Media Center Fellow: He is also a Fellow at the Type Media Center, an organization dedicated to supporting investigative journalism and literary arts.
9. Selected Writings
Jeremy Scahill's journalistic output extends beyond his major books, encompassing a wide array of articles and essays that delve into themes of U.S. foreign policy, military operations, and human rights. His selected writings include:
- "Blood Is Thicker Than Blackwater," The Nation, May 8, 2006.
- "Mercenary Jackpot," The Nation, August 28, 2006.
- "The CIA's Secret Sites in Somalia," The Nation, August 1-8, 2011.
- "Osama's Assassins," The Nation, May 23, 2011.
- "Blowback in Somalia," The Nation, September 26, 2011.
- "Washington's War in Yemen Backfires," The Nation, March 5-12, 2012.
- "Blackwater's Private Spies," The Nation, June 23, 2008.
- The Assassination Complex: Inside the Government's Secret Drone Warfare Program, a book co-authored with the staff of The Intercept, published in 2016.