A new gig for Lynn Oberlander

Some big news about our classmate, Lynn Oberlander!  Congratulations, Lynn!

Lynn Oberlander Joins First Look Media as General Counsel 

for Media Operations

A leader in the field of media law and First Amendment rights, 

Oberlander brings stellar credentials and experience, most recently from 

her role at The New Yorker

February 07, 2014 01:31 PM Eastern Standard Time

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--First Look Media, the news organization created by Pierre Omidyar, today announced that Lynn Oberlander has joined the team as general counsel for media operations.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help launch a brand-new digital news operation that has the First Amendment at its core”

Oberlander comes to First Look from The New Yorker, where she spent the past seven years as general counsel. In her new role at First Look, she will draw from her more than 20 years of experience to provide legal counsel and direction in all aspects of the organization’s media operations. She will provide pre-publication review and strategic legal advice, help to structure syndication and other distribution relationships and leverage her extensive experience in support of efforts to expand First Amendment and other vital protections for all journalists.

“Lynn’s experience with a highly respected publication like The New Yorker, combined with her First Amendment expertise, makes her unmatched in this field,” said Omidyar. “She will provide the First Look team with the support needed to bring important issues to light. Her creative and strategic approach to building legal support both serves and advances journalism. Lynn will play a critical role in our mission to contribute to the greater good through stories that matter. We are fortunate to have someone of her caliber to guide us through the complex issues associated with investigative reporting.”

At The New Yorker, Oberlander oversaw all legal aspects of the publication. She also contributed blog posts to newyorker.com on topics related to media and the law. Oberlander has been an adjunct professor at the New School for Public Engagement for 15 years, where she teaches on media and the law. She is chair of the New York State Bar Association's Media Law Committee and a frequent and sought-after public speaker. Previously, she worked at Forbes and NBC, offering newsroom counsel for various stations, websites and news teams. She received her B.A. from Yale, where she also served as a news editor and columnist at the Yale Daily News, and received her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help launch a brand-new digital news operation that has the First Amendment at its core,” said Oberlander. “First Look will be reporting on issues that are critical to our time. I’m passionate about accountability journalism that is aggressive and transparent, because I believe that the press has an essential role in our democracy. I look forward to building this enterprise with the rest of the First Look team.”

Oberlander will start March 10 and will be based in New York City.

About First Look Media

First Look Media seeks to reimagine journalism for the digital age, combining the promise of technological innovation with the power of fearless reporting. Founded by Pierre Omidyar, the organization will pursue original, independent journalism that is deeply reported and researched, thoroughly fact checked and beautifully told. We are driven above all by a belief that democracy depends on a citizenry that is not just highly informed, but deeply engaged. In all our work, we are committed to strict standards of accuracy and honesty, a willingness to report our own errors and inconsistencies as well as those of others, and a deep respect for the transformative power of true stories. To learn more, visit www.firstlook.org.