HONOLULU -- EBay founder and Honolulu resident Pierre Omidyar announced in his blog on Wednesday that he is starting a Hawaii online news organization.

The operation would be part of Omidyar's company Peer News Inc. that is co-founded with Hawaii-born Randy Ching.

"Although we haven't fully defined our coverage areas yet, we know the focus will be public affairs and civic matters that impact communities across Hawaii," Omidyar wrote in his blog.

The operation would be on the Web only. Omidyar said he hopes to launch the news Web site early next year.

Spokeswoman Sarah Steven said Omidyar wants to focus on Hawaii and does not currently have plans to expand.

Omidyar has seen a decline in journalism around the world and is concerned about its impact on democracy, Steven said. The news organization will provide in depth coverage of public affairs issues.

The multibillionaire moved to Oahu about 2.5 years ago.