Audit Notes: ProPub vs. BofA, Wall Street in the White House, Short-Armed

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 16, 2010 at 08:02 PM

I love to see the press just flat-out say somebody's full of it. ProPublica's Karen Weise does that today, calling... More

Reporting Commodity Price Swings

Stories often lead readers to believe inflationary impact is greater than it really is

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 16, 2010 at 05:03 PM

Bloomberg shouts this headline today about commodity prices going up: Gap, Wal-Mart Clothing Costs Rise on ‘Terrifying’ Cotton Prices Its... More

LAT Watchdogs Wall Street on the GM IPO

The banks just can’t help themselves, and if shares soar, political problems await.

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 16, 2010 at 01:03 PM

The L.A. Times takes a smart tack on the General Motors IPO story, reporting that it shows how Wall Street... More

L.A. Times Quantifies the Dominance of the Finance Lobby

No “obtained” records here or even FOIAs; this info was in plain sight

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 15, 2010 at 06:57 AM

The Los Angeles Times drops some good reporting this morning on regulation and the financial lobby, aggregating publicly available records... More

Audit Notes: Free Trade “Hit,” Taxing Wall Street, Bruce Karatz v. Tron Carter

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 12, 2010 at 03:29 PM

One thing the financial press doesn't much pretend to be neutral about is "free trade." They love that stuff. See... More

The $600 Million Homeowner Bailout

An economic disaster for the country and a political one for Obama

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 12, 2010 at 07:27 AM

Remember when a little ol' homeowner bailout set off CNBC's Rick Santelli, igniting the Tea Party movement back in February... More

MSNBC’s Ratigan Goes Way Off the Deep End

Discussing violent revolution as if it’s just another policy option

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 11, 2010 at 04:06 PM

MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan not only decided it was a good idea to have on far-left cartoonist Ted Rall to... More

Overplaying the Two Old Guys’ Report

The Times busts out the war font for a deficit plan with dubious prospects

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 11, 2010 at 02:00 PM

The Wall Street Journal and New York Times misplay the report out of the deficit commission panel today. The Journal... More

Audit Notes: WSJ Explains Ireland, Eisinger, Tragedy of the Technocrats

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 10, 2010 at 04:13 PM

Every once in a while, we get one of those page-one stories in The Wall Street Journal that remind you... More

A Times Story Bodes Ill for the Washington Post

An investigation shows how Kaplan used predatory tactics to get students and government money

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 10, 2010 at 03:32 PM

The for-profit college business just looks worse and worse, and a New York Times investigation this morning paints a disturbing... More

Audit Notes: Foreclosure Scandal, Gold Still Not a Record, Facebook Ads

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 9, 2010 at 06:11 PM

The Washington Post drops this eye-raising info from a Long Island judge who's not happy with the banks' actions in... More

WaPo: OCC Had the Banks’ Back on Foreclosures

Comptroller John Dugan rejected requests from states to investigate

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 9, 2010 at 09:58 AM

This Washington Post story yesterday didn't get as much attention as it ought to have. Zachary Goldfarb reports on yet... More

Sarah Palin, Media Critic

The former veep candidate (and journalism major) misleads readers on the WSJ with selective quotes

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 8, 2010 at 09:25 PM

Aw, shucks. Sarah Palin is "just a former governor and current housewife from Alaska, but even humble folks like (her)... More

Audit Notes: Palin Holds Forth on QE2, Top 400 Taxes, Too Big to Jail

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 8, 2010 at 05:25 PM

If you, like me, had been eagerly awaiting Sarah Palin's thoughts on Quantitative Easing: Part Deux, the wait is over!... More

A Big Story or a “Technicality”?

Sorkin, Nocera, and other intra-newsroom battles over whether the foreclosure scandal matters

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 8, 2010 at 07:42 AM

I get the sense that the foreclosure scandal has opened up some rifts in at least a couple of newsrooms.... More

Audit Notes: A Foreclosure Tragedy, Dirty Diapers, 1994, Hyatt’s Jingle Mail

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 5, 2010 at 04:57 PM

The Miami Herald finds a sad twist on the foreclosure scandal: Who do you sue when your toddler drowns in... More

WSJ vs. FT on QE2

The pink paper wins the page-one battle by focusing on the long-term repercussions

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 5, 2010 at 10:55 AM

Quantitative Easing II: Good or bad? Take your pick from the respective front pages of The Wall Street Journal and... More

Audit Notes: Derailed; Tax Know-Nothings, Press Bubble, Etc.

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 4, 2010 at 04:40 PM

John Collins Rudolf writes at The New York Times's Green blog about the effect Tuesday's GOP landslide will have on... More

The Journal Misfires on the Economy and the Election

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 4, 2010 at 09:47 AM

The Wall Street Journal makes a logical error this morning in reporting that the "Economy Wasn't Sole Voter Concern." Now,... More

The Tea Party Faction and the Business Agenda

It’s worth watching how the new members toe the corporate line

By Ryan Chittum   Nov 3, 2010 at 03:03 PM

What will the historic Republican landslide mean for business? Lots of things, says Bloomberg, in a long look at what... More