I was really hoping for something... more. This looks like a mediocre blog template, not "the future of journalism on the web". (I don't think anyone's actually claimed it will be, but given Greenwald's track record -- even before Snowden -- I was hoping it would be.)
I am glad that they are focusing on the content itself instead of fancy stuff. Websites like The Verge or Polygon were exciting at first, but all that flair and gradients got old really soon. I'd like to concentrate on words instead. Sprinkle couple of images related to the text and i'll be very happy.
P.S.: I do think that Intercept could be a little bit more solid, less generic design-wise with its own style.
I can't even read the Verge except for their mobile site. The desktop experience is so heavy and bloated, that I just leave before finding the article I want to read.
Adding to the chorus of people who disagree with you, I'd like to also say that this was put up very quickly. I'm sure when time permits they'll build out the front end further.
I do think that the appearance of this new media matters. If not, why using a template at all? Or even pictures? Only the words matters, thats why the presentation should not be distracting and using a random template is.
The comments also threaten to derail the project. Conspiracy theorists abound and not really any filtering system to bring good comments above the fray. I'm not really sure why these articles even need user comments. They make the site feel like Infowars.
I'm more disappointed by the apparent lack of a business model, beyond the usual Mecenate/sugar-daddy relationship with Omidyar. He's starting from scratch, in 2014, with a talented group of young guns, a huge trove of stories and a lot of publicity... he has a chance at really defining something innovative for the industry, beyond fancy graphics and hard-hitting content in the same old package. I hope they have better plans for the near future.
The revenue model is currently "we don't care, Omidyar has committed to spending at least the $250M he didn't spend on the Washington Post". At their current staffing, that probably goes quite a ways.
The second article (https://firstlook.org/theintercept/article/2014/02/10/new-ph...) is a bit closer to what I had imagined, although the lack of cohesion across the site leaves a lot to be desired.
At the end of the day, though, I guess the only thing that matters is the words.