Ryan Grim
{{short description|American author and journalist}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ryan Grim
| image = Ryan Grim (3907387132) (cropped).jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Grim in 2009
| birth_place = Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| other_names =
| occupation = Journalist
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|3|23}}{{Cite tweet|user=ryangrim|number=1374344863592906752|title=For my birthday I'm offering my newsletter for free|date=March 23, 2021|access-date=November 28, 2021}}
| education = St. Mary's College of Maryland (BA)
University of Maryland, College Park (MPP)
| spouse =
| children =
| website =
}}
Ryan W. Grim (born March 23, 1978) is an American author and journalist. Grim was Washington, D.C. bureau chief for HuffPost and formerly the Washington, D.C. bureau chief for The Intercept.{{cite news |last1=Farhi |first1=Paul |title=Intercept's Ryan Grim holds fast on Tara Reade story. |newspaper=The Washington Post | via=Cengage |date=1 June 2020 |id={{Gale|A625416156}}}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/author/ryan-grim|title=Ryan Grim |website=HuffPost|access-date=2020-04-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200304170934/https://www.huffpost.com/author/ryan-grim|archive-date=2020-03-04|url-status=live}} In July 2024, Grim and The Intercept{{'}}s co-founder Jeremy Scahill left The Intercept to co-found Drop Site News.{{cite news |last1=Tani |first1=Max |title=Instagram removes Gaza posts from lefty news org Democracy Now |url=https://www.semafor.com/article/07/09/2024/instagram-removes-gaza-posts-from-lefty-new-org-democracy-now |access-date=24 October 2024 |work=Semafor |date=July 9, 2024}} He is an author and has published some of his books through Strong Arm Press, an independent progressive publishing house he cofounded.{{cite web |last=Silverman |first=Melissa |title=Washington Small Presses Make Their Mark |url=http://blog.pshares.org/index.php/washington-small-presses-make-their-mark/ |website=Ploughshares at Emerson College |access-date=11 March 2020 |date=7 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328142319/http://blog.pshares.org/index.php/washington-small-presses-make-their-mark/ |archive-date=28 March 2019 |url-status=live }} Grim and conservative journalist Emily Jashinsky were the regular Friday hosts of Rising before they resigned in September 2022 and joined Breaking Points, where they host the show Counterpoints.{{cite news |last1=Baragona |first1=Justin |date=2022-09-01 |title=Ryan Grim and Emily Jashinsky Exit The Hill's Popular Web Show 'Rising' |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/ryan-grim-and-emily-jashinsky-exit-the-hills-popular-web-show-rising |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001025933/https://www.thedailybeast.com/ryan-grim-and-emily-jashinsky-exit-the-hills-popular-web-show-rising |archive-date=2022-10-01 |access-date=2024-07-12 |work=The Daily Beast |department=Confider}}
Early life and education
Grim was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from St. Mary's College of Maryland, and Master of Public Policy from the University of Maryland, College Park.{{Cite web|title=For 2013 graduates, 'the race is just beginning'|url=https://www.myeasternshoremd.com/news/for-2013-graduates-the-race-is-just-beginning/article_df5b6964-ce30-11e2-bb0d-001a4bcf887a.html|last=McGee|first=Trish|website=MyEasternShoreMD|date=2013-06-06|access-date=2020-05-05}}{{Cite web|title=Philosophy Alumni of SMCM|url=http://faculty.smcm.edu/mstaber/alumni.htm|website=faculty.smcm.edu|access-date=2020-05-05}}
Career
After earning his master's degree, Grim worked as a legislative analyst for the Marijuana Policy Project. Grim has written about the history of drug use and drug culture in the United States. He has presented his research on why drugs are popular at certain times in history and his thoughts on the government's war on drugs. He also worked as a stockbroker in New York City.{{cn|date=October 2024}}
Grim joined HuffPost (then The Huffington Post) in January 2009. In his role heading a team at HuffPost, reporters on the team twice made finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.{{cite web |title=Ryan Grim |url=https://theintercept.com/staff/ryangrim/ |website=The Intercept |access-date=2 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225162626/https://theintercept.com/staff/ryangrim/ |archive-date=25 February 2020 |url-status=live }} Towards the end of his tenure at HuffPost, significant leadership changes were occurring, sparked by Arianna Huffington's exit.{{cite magazine |last=Perlberg |first=Steven |title=How the Intercept Is Fueling the Democratic Civil War |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/04/24/the-intercept-greenwald-grim-profile-media-politics-left-liberal-226710 |magazine=Politico Magazine|date=24 April 2019 |access-date=9 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121205753/https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/04/24/the-intercept-greenwald-grim-profile-media-politics-left-liberal-226710 |archive-date=21 January 2020 |url-status=live }}
=''The Intercept''=
Grim left his position at HuffPost in 2017 after nine years with the paper, joining The Intercept to head its Washington, D.C. bureau.{{cite news |last1=Gold |first1=Hadas |last2=Pompeo |first2=Joe |title=Ryan Grim to leave HuffPost for The Intercept |url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2017/05/05/ryan-grim-intercept-huffington-post-238052 |access-date=2 March 2020 |work=Politico |date=5 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302004925/https://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2017/05/05/ryan-grim-intercept-huffington-post-238052 |archive-date=2 March 2020 |url-status=live }}
During the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination, Grim was the first to report that California Senator Dianne Feinstein had received a letter related to Kavanaugh, later revealed to be from Christine Blasey Ford, alleging that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted its author in high school.{{cite news|last=Edmondson|first=Catie|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/01/us/politics/trump-democrats-blumenthal-feinstein-booker.html|title=Trump, Defending Kavanaugh, Accuses Senate Democrats of Hypocrisy and Dishonesty|date=1 October 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=13 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200227035454/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/01/us/politics/trump-democrats-blumenthal-feinstein-booker.html|archive-date=27 February 2020|url-status=live}} Grim also reported on former Trump aide Rob Porter's abuse allegations by his ex-wives. He reported early on the 2018 campaign of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
In August 2020, Grim used emails from the University of Massachusetts Amherst chapter of the College Democrats to dismantle an attempt to smear progressive candidate Alex Morse.{{cite magazine |last=Featherstone |first=Liza |author-link=Liza Featherstone |title=The Left Needs to Stop Falling for Absurd Sex Panics |url=https://jacobinmag.com/2020/08/alex-morse-neal-massachusetts-sex-panic |magazine=Jacobin |date=13 August 2020 |quote=Thankfully, the Intercept{{'s}} Ryan Grim stepped in to reveal that there weren't even any "victims" of "discomfort" or "power dynamics." Messages Grim obtained show that the College Dems planned the whole thing deliberately, as one of the group's leaders was hoping to get an internship with Rep. Neal, Morse's opponent.}}
In 2023, Grim obtained and published a leaked Pakistani diplomatic cable alleging U.S. State Department pressure on the Pakistani government to remove Prime Minister Imran Khan from office in 2022.{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Jake |date=2023-08-10 |title=Secret Cable Reportedly Shows US Urged Pakistani Government to Oust Imran Khan |url=https://www.commondreams.org/news/imran-khan-secret-cable |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316135517/https://www.commondreams.org/news/imran-khan-secret-cable |archive-date=2024-03-16 |access-date=2024-07-12 |website=Common Dreams |language=en}}
=''Drop Site News''=
In July 2024, Grim and Jeremy Scahill, the co-founder of The Intercept, founded Drop Site News.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-07-08 |title=Scahill and Grim Launch New Media Outlet With The Intercept’s Support |url=https://theintercept.com/2024/07/08/scahill-and-grim-launch-new-media-outlet/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240708165329/https://theintercept.com/2024/07/08/scahill-and-grim-launch-new-media-outlet/ |archive-date=2024-07-08 |access-date=2024-07-12 |website=The Intercept |language=en-US}} Although there was previously friction between the pair and The Intercept board, Drop Site is backed with some funding by The Intercept.{{cite news |last1=Tani |first1=Max |title=The Intercept is running out of cash |url=https://www.semafor.com/article/04/14/2024/the-intercept-is-running-out-of-cash |access-date=24 October 2024 |work=Semafor |date=April 14, 2024}}
In February 2025, Grim and Drop Site News broke the story that the U.S. State Department had allocated $400 million for "Armored Tesla" in a procurement document. After the story broke, the document was amended to read "Armored Electric Vehicles" instead.{{cite web |last1=Grim |first1=Ryan |last2=Poulson |first2=Jack |title=UPDATED: "Armored Tesla" (was) forecast to win $400 million State Department contract after Trump's election |url=https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/elon-musk-armored-tesla-forecast-400-million-state-department-contracts |website=Drop Site News |access-date=27 March 2025}}{{cite web |title=State Department removes mention of 'armored Teslas' from its 2025 procurement list, replaces it with 'armored electric vehicles' |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/state-department-buy-400-million-worth-armored-teslas-2025-2 |website=Business Insider |access-date=27 March 2025}} The story prompted Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congressman Gregory Meeks to send letters to Secretary of State Marco Rubio highlighting the conflict of interest in Elon Musk's role as CEO of Tesla while also working for the Department of Government Efficiency.{{cite web |last1=Gault |first1=Matthew |title=Lawmakers Demand Answers From Rubio Over the $400 Million Armored Tesla Contract |url=https://gizmodo.com/lawmakers-demand-answers-from-rubio-over-the-400-million-armored-tesla-contract-2000573841 |website=Gizmodo |access-date=27 March 2025}}
=Publishing=
Following the move to The Intercept, Grim and Alex Lawson established Strong Arm Press, a small imprint printing press. Grim launched the press because he felt that the first Trump administration was moving too quickly for the standard publishing cycle, which takes around a year to publish a book. He launched Strong Arm Press to accommodate shorter, cheaper, lower-volume books with a shorter publishing turnaround time. The first title published was Out of the Ooze, a profile of Tom Price that reached Amazon's top 100 list. Books are funded through crowdfunding campaigns.{{cite magazine |last=Freed |first=Benjamin |title=How Can a Small Progressive Publisher Keep Up With the Trump Administration? Via Crowdfunding. And Speed |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2018/02/21/ryan-grim-strong-arm-press-trump-administration-books/ |access-date=12 March 2020 |magazine=Washingtonian |date=21 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302010543/https://www.washingtonian.com/2018/02/21/ryan-grim-strong-arm-press-trump-administration-books/ |archive-date=2 March 2020 |url-status=live }} Grim published We've Got People, a history of progressivism and the Democratic Party, through Strong Arm Press in 2019.{{cite interview |last=Grim |first=Ryan |interviewer=Paul Blest |title='Patience Is Not a Virtue': Ryan Grim on We've Got People and the Modern Democratic Party |url=https://splinternews.com/patience-is-not-a-virtue-ryan-grim-on-weve-got-people-1835282746 |date=6 June 2019 |work=Splinter News |access-date=13 June 2021}}{{cite magazine|title=We've Got People |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ryan-grim/weve-got-peopleH/ |magazine=Kirkus Reviews |date=8 July 2019|access-date=13 June 2021}}
= Notable corrections =
In 2016, Grim published a blog post in which he questioned FiveThirtyEight{{'s}} models and predictions for the 2016 United States presidential election. Grim's criticisms were later repudiated by FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver, and Grim issued corrections to his post.{{cite news |last=Sterne |first=Peter |title=A measure of vindication for Nate Silver |url=https://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2016/11/a-measure-of-vindication-for-nate-silver-231108 |work=Politico |date=9 November 2016 |access-date=9 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171003152505/http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2016/11/a-measure-of-vindication-for-nate-silver-231108 |archive-date=3 October 2017 |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |last=Graham |first=David A. |title=What Does Nate Silver Know? |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/03/can-you-still-trust-nate-silver/605521/ |access-date=12 March 2020 |magazine=The Atlantic |date=3 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302041648/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/03/can-you-still-trust-nate-silver/605521/ |archive-date=2 March 2020 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/nate-silver-huffington-post-polls-twitter-230815|title=Nate Silver rages at Huffington Post editor in 14-part tweetstorm|website=Politico|date=2016-11-05 |access-date=2020-04-10}}
Publications
- This Is Your Country on Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America; Publisher: Wiley (June 22, 2009) {{ISBN|0-470-16739-4}}.
- We've Got People: From Jesse Jackson to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the End of Big Money and the Rise of a Movement (May 2019) {{ISBN|978-1-947492-38-7}}
- The Squad: AOC and the Hope of a Political Revolution (December 2023) {{ISBN|978-1250869074}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{wikiquote}}
- {{C-SPAN|1027543}}
- [https://www.dropsitenews.com/ Drop Site News]
{{TYT Network}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grim, Ryan}}
Category:21st-century American journalists
Category:21st-century American male writers
Category:American drug policy reform activists
Category:American male journalists
Category:Journalists from Maryland
Category:People from Kent County, Maryland
Category:St. Mary's College of Maryland alumni
Category:The Young Turks people