SCAHILL, Jeremy
American investigative journalist and co-founder of The Intercept who wrote exposés of private military contractors and U.S. covert counterterrorism operations.
Jeremy Scahill is an American investigative journalist who has specialized in national security reporting, particularly focusing on private military contractors and covert U.S. operations. A co-founding editor of *The Intercept*, Scahill has built his career exposing the privatization of warfare and the expansion of secret military programs following the September 11 attacks.
Scahill gained prominence with his 2007 book *Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army*, which documented the rapid growth of private military companies during the Iraq War. His investigation revealed how Blackwater USA (later renamed Xe Services and Academi) received billions in government contracts while operating with minimal oversight and legal accountability. The book exposed incidents of civilian killings and corporate misconduct that had received little public attention.
His follow-up work, *Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield* (2013), expanded his focus to examine the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and its global counterterrorism campaigns. Scahill documented the expansion of targeted killing operations, the use of kill lists, and the civilian casualties resulting from drone strikes and night raids in Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, and other countries.
In 2014, Scahill co-founded *The Intercept* with Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras, creating an outlet focused on national security journalism and government accountability. The publication has published major investigations based on leaked documents, including coverage of surveillance programs, military operations, and intelligence activities. Scahill continues to report on the intersection of corporate interests and national security policy.
His work has contributed to congressional investigations and policy debates about the role of private contractors in warfare and the legal frameworks governing covert operations. Scahill's reporting has consistently challenged official narratives about counterterrorism effectiveness and civilian protection measures.
Bibliography:
- Scahill, Jeremy. *Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army* (2007)
- Scahill, Jeremy. *Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield* (2013)
- *The Intercept* national security investigations (2014-present)