Glenn Greenwald
Born 1967 · Age 59
American journalist, author, and former constitutional litigator; prominent reporter on NSA surveillance disclosures and cofounder/editor at The Intercept.
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Life & Career Timeline
Family moved to Lauderdale Lakes, Florida
Greenwald's family relocated to Lauderdale Lakes, Florida when he was an infant.
Born in Queens, New York
Glenn Edward Greenwald was born to Arlene and Daniel Greenwald in Queens, New York City.
Ran for Lauderdale Lakes City Council (first campaign)
At age 17 (campaign year 1985) Greenwald ran for an at-large seat on the Lauderdale Lakes City Council and finished fourth with about 7% of the vote.
Received B.A. in Philosophy from George Washington University
Greenwald graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from George Washington University.
Second run for Lauderdale Lakes City Council
Greenwald ran again for an at-large council seat in 1991 and came in third with about 18% of the vote; afterwards he stopped running for office to focus on law school.
Earned J.D. from NYU School of Law
Greenwald received his Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law.
Joined Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz (litigation dept.)
Began practicing in the litigation department at the prominent New York law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
Left Wachtell, Lipton (end of 1994–1995 tenure)
Completed roughly a one-year stint at Wachtell's litigation department before moving on to found his own firm.
Founded Greenwald Christoph & Holland (law firm)
Co‑founded a litigation firm concentrating on First Amendment and constitutional litigation; later renamed Greenwald Christoph PC.
First Amendment / controversial First Amendment cases
At his firm he litigated speech and civil liberties cases, including representing Matthew Hale and the National Alliance; did substantial pro bono work.
Wound down law practice to pursue political writing
Voluntarily wound down full-time litigation practice in 2005 to focus on political writing and journalism.
Launched blog 'Unclaimed Territory'
Began blogging on national security and civil liberties issues in October 2005, focusing on items like the Plame affair and warrantless NSA surveillance.
Published book: 'How Would a Patriot Act?'
Greenwald's first book defending civil liberties and criticizing the Bush administration was published and became a New York Times bestseller.
Received 2005 Koufax Award for 'Best New Blog'
Unclaimed Territory received the Koufax Award (awarded April 2006 for 2005) in the 'Best New Blog' category.
Joined Salon as contributing writer
In February 2007 Greenwald became a contributing writer at Salon; his Salon column and blog superseded Unclaimed Territory.
Published 'A Tragic Legacy' (book)
Published a critique of the Bush presidency; the book was published in hardback on June 26, 2007 and became a New York Times bestseller.
Published 'Great American Hypocrites'
Released a book (April 2008) critiquing Republican politics; also published as an e-book.
Influenced opposition to John Brennan's nomination
Greenwald led liberal-blog opposition to former CIA official John O. Brennan's consideration for DNI/CIA director, contributing to Brennan withdrawing his name from consideration.
Award: Izzy Award for independent media (shared)
Received the first Izzy Award (Park Center for Independent Media) for achievement in independent journalism (2009).
Award: Online Journalism Award for Best Commentary
Received the 2010 Online Journalism Award for commentary, including investigative work on Chelsea Manning's detention.
Published 'With Liberty and Justice for Some'
Published a book (Oct 2011) examining law and inequality in the U.S.
Lannan Cultural Freedom Award
Received the Lannan Cultural Freedom Award (2011) for contributions to culture and journalism.
Initial contact from Edward Snowden (anonymous) re classified documents
Greenwald was contacted anonymously by Edward Snowden in late 2012 about classified NSA documents Snowden held.
Joined The Guardian (US wing) as columnist
In July 2012 Greenwald began contributing a weekly column and daily blog to The Guardian's American wing.
Awards: George Polk Award & others for Snowden reporting
Greenwald was among recipients of the 2013 George Polk Award for National Security Reporting and won multiple investigative journalism prizes for NSA disclosures.
Received numerous awards for NSA reporting (EFF, Esso, Foreign Policy list)
In 2013 Greenwald's Snowden reporting earned awards including the EFF Pioneer Award, Brazil's Esso Award, and recognition by Foreign Policy as a top-100 global thinker.
Began working with Snowden (documents & interviews)
Greenwald began collaborating with Laura Poitras and Edward Snowden in either February or April 2013 to review and publish classified NSA documents.
Published first Snowden-based report in The Guardian
On June 5, 2013 The Guardian published Greenwald's report on an order requiring Verizon to provide the NSA with telephone metadata, starting the global surveillance disclosures.
Testified before Brazilian National Congress
Delivered a statement to Brazil's National Congress about U.S. surveillance and counterterrorism used for economic competition, in early August 2013.
Left The Guardian
Announced departure from The Guardian on October 15, 2013 to pursue a 'once-in-a-career' journalistic opportunity.
Testified to European Parliament (LIBE committee)
Spoke (via video link) to the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs on surveillance and privacy (Dec 18, 2013).
Received other recognitions (Geschwister-Scholl-Preis, McGill Medal, etc.)
In 2014 Greenwald received several further recognitions, including the Geschwister-Scholl-Preis and the McGill Medal for Journalistic Courage.
Appeared on stage to accept Citizenfour's Academy Award
Greenwald appeared with Laura Poitras and Lindsay Mills to accept the documentary award for Citizenfour, which covered the Snowden story (text source lists 2014 Academy Award).
Launched The Intercept (First Look Media backing)
First Look Media, funded by Pierre Omidyar, launched The Intercept on February 10, 2014; Greenwald served as a founding editor alongside Laura Poitras and Jeremy Scahill.
Accepted George Polk Award (ceremony)
Greenwald and Laura Poitras accepted the 2013 George Polk Award at a ceremony in Manhattan on April 11, 2014.
Pulitzer Prize for Public Service awarded to The Guardian & The Washington Post
The Guardian (to which Greenwald contributed) and The Washington Post were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for reporting on NSA surveillance (April 14, 2014).
Published 'No Place to Hide'
Released 'No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State' (May 2014); book spent several weeks on NYT bestseller list.
The Intercept published 'The Drone Papers' (major exposé)
The Intercept published a major 2015 exposé on U.S. drone operations ('The Drone Papers') based on leaks by Daniel Hale, breaking new details about targeted strikes.
Portrayed in Oliver Stone's film 'Snowden'
Actor Zachary Quinto played Glenn Greenwald in the 2016 feature film about Edward Snowden directed by Oliver Stone.
The Intercept contact with Guccifer 2.0 controversy
During the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign The Intercept was in contact with Guccifer 2.0 regarding hacked material about Hillary Clinton; this later generated criticism and controversy.
Helped launch The Intercept Brasil
Greenwald aided in launching The Intercept's Brazilian edition, a Portuguese-language investigative outlet.
Gained legal guardianship of two boys in Brazil
Greenwald and his husband David Miranda announced they had gained legal guardianship of two brothers from Maceió in 2017.
Formally adopted two boys
Greenwald and his husband formally adopted the two brothers they previously had legal guardianship of in 2018.
Married to David Miranda (already living together since 2005)
Greenwald and David Miranda had moved in together days after meeting in Rio (2005) and were married (source lists marriage date 2005; marriage retained through 2023).
Vladimir Herzog Special Award (Brazil) for reporting on 'Lava Jato'
Greenwald was honored (2019) in Brazil with the Vladimir Herzog Special Award for his reporting on Operação Lava Jato leaks.
Published Operation Car Wash (Vaza Jato) Telegram leaks
On June 9, 2019 Greenwald and The Intercept Brasil released leaked Telegram messages implicating Brazilian prosecutors and a judge in collusion during Operation Car Wash investigations.
Arrest of hacker Walter Delgatti Neto
Brazilian Federal Police announced the arrest of hacker Walter Delgatti Neto on July 23, 2019; Neto confessed to the Telegram hack and giving logs to Greenwald.
Supreme Court Justice rules protecting Greenwald from investigation
On August 9, 2019 Justice Gilmar Mendes ruled any investigation of Greenwald related to the reporting would be illegal under the Brazilian constitution citing press freedom.
Physically attacked by journalist Augusto Nunes
Greenwald was physically attacked by Brazilian journalist Augusto Nunes during a radio program appearance in November 2019 amid heated debate over the leaks.
Charged by Brazilian prosecutors with cybercrimes
In January 2020 Brazilian federal prosecutors charged Greenwald with cybercrimes alleging he was part of a criminal organization facilitating hacking connected to the Telegram leaks.
Began self-publishing on Substack (post-Intercept)
Following his resignation, Greenwald began publishing reporting and commentary on Substack and exploring new media ventures.
Public dispute and publication about Biden-Ukraine/China article
After resigning from The Intercept, Greenwald published his unpublished article about Joe Biden and released his correspondence with The Intercept editors, claiming censorship.
Federal judge dismissed cybercrime charges
In February 2020 a federal judge dismissed the charges against Greenwald, citing prior Supreme Court protections of press freedom.
Resigned from The Intercept
On October 29, 2020 Greenwald resigned from The Intercept citing political censorship and editorial breaches; he stated he would self-publish afterwards.
Published 'Securing Democracy' (book)
Released 'Securing Democracy: My Fight for Press Freedom and Justice in Bolsonaro’s Brazil' (April 2021), covering the 2019 leaks and subsequent retaliation.
Increased appearances on conservative media
Became a frequent guest on Fox News (notably Tucker Carlson Tonight) and repositioned as a media critic appearing across diverse media ecosystems.
Signed exclusive publishing arrangement with Locals / Rumble activity
In 2023 Greenwald signed to publish on Locals (Rumble-affiliated) and began hosting the nightly show 'System Update' on Rumble, republishing Substack work to Locals.
Death of spouse David Miranda announced
Greenwald announced via Twitter the passing of his husband David Miranda after a nine-month ICU stay (May 9, 2023).
Reached ~295,000 Substack subscribers (reported)
As of June 2023 Greenwald had amassed over 295,000 subscribers on Substack (reported figure).
Private/intimate videos leaked online
In May 2025 a series of intimate videos of Greenwald were leaked and circulated without his consent; he characterized the leak as politically motivated.
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