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A Closer Look

Crony Capitalism? Hank Paulson’s Extraordinary Meeting

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Yesterday, federal judge Jed Rakoff slammed the Securities and Exchange Commission for making a toothless settlement with Citigroup over financial crisis misdeeds, arguing that it obscured the basic facts of what actually happened. Today, Bloomberg Markets Magazine has an important story by Richard Teitelbaum that, from a very different vantage point, demonstrates the same infuriating point: Despite the economic wreckage we are still trying to repair, we have yet to have an adequate accounting of how the financial crisis happened, what caused it, and who knew what when.

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Raising Cain: When Is a Scoop Ready to be Published?

One thing missing from Politico's scoop on Herman Cain’s alleged sexual harassment: the underlying facts.

Second Thoughts on Sex and Politics

The resignation of Oregon Congressman David Wu provides a compelling argument for why news organizations should aggressively pursue allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct -- even old ones.

In the Phone Hacking Scandal, Remember Watergate

From this side of the Atlantic, the British phone hacking scandal seems more about a failure of British law enforcement than of the press to police itself.

How WikiLeaks Could Change the Way Reporters Deal With Secrets

The WikiLeaks case changes the way journalists deal with sensitive information.

Why WikiLeaks’ ‘War Logs’ Are No Pentagon Papers

The historical importance the Pentagon Papers far outweighs the likely impact of the new Afghanistan documents.

Slate Takes a Closer Look at the Tragedy of a Bullied Teenager

A Slate report delves into the case of Phoebe Prince and the teenagers accused of driving her to suicide.

Reverse Ferret! When Stories Bite Back

While politicians jumped the gun in the Shirley Sherrod saga, reporters once again showed the value of … reporting.

The Questionable Cost of America’s Spy Games

Everyone loves a good spy story, but as recent cases show, they don't always live up to the hype.

When the Police Control the Press

Near BP’s refinery in Texas City, the police make it a policy to interfere with photographers, whether they have a right to or not.

Covering the Bank Investigations: A Cautionary Tale

Announcements of "investigations" can mean lots of things, or nothing at all.

When an Intelligence Story Isn’t

Covering the intelligence community isn’t easy. So when a story seems to be wrong – as happened with a recent Washington Post story – sometimes it depends on what your definition of “wrong” is.

A Fracking Mischaracterization

An Investor’s Business Daily editorial repeats some canards about ProPublica’s coverage of hydraulic fracturing.

In the Eye of New Orleans

ProPublica’s focus on New Orleans is intended to throw light on how crucial institutions react to catastrophes.

Familiarity Breeds Content

When News Falls in the Forest

Calling attention to important stories isn't always easy, as evidenced by the case of the Guantanamo prisoner trials.

Jumping the Gunman

The Fort Hood shootings offer a good example of the pitfalls of wolf-pack reporting on a complex story.

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