Matt Taibbi

I remember when I covered Wall Street, I was constantly told that you can't do these big stories on credit default swaps and all these other things because audiences don't want to hear about it. They'll turn the page. But it's not true. People have a great hunger to find out things and they have... a much stronger ability to understand things than most media people imagine.

I remember when I covered Wall Street, I was constantly told that you can't do these big stories on credit default swaps and all these other things because audiences don't want to hear about it. They'll turn the page. But it's not true. People have a great hunger to find out things and they have... a much stronger ability to understand things than most media people imagine.

I remember when I covered Wall Street, I was constantly told that you can't do these big stories on credit default swaps and all these other things because audiences don't want to hear about it. They'll turn the page. But it's not true. People have a great hunger to find out things and they have... a much stronger ability to understand things than most media people imagine.

And so when they do these sort of transparent exercises in lying and PR and political propaganda, and they think that people won't notice, it makes it worse. The numbers are going to go down rather than up when they start. Totally. Don't you think?

And so when they do these sort of transparent exercises in lying and PR and political propaganda, and they think that people won't notice, it makes it worse. The numbers are going to go down rather than up when they start. Totally. Don't you think?

And so when they do these sort of transparent exercises in lying and PR and political propaganda, and they think that people won't notice, it makes it worse. The numbers are going to go down rather than up when they start. Totally. Don't you think?

Absolutely. You think so? Oh, 100%. I think that. I think that especially when you're talking about interventionist military policies, whether or not they've been effective. Try pitching stories to one of the big newspapers about... You know, maybe some kind of downside to an invasion or an occupation or the expansion of, you know, a thousand military bases in the Middle East or whatever it is.

Absolutely. You think so? Oh, 100%. I think that. I think that especially when you're talking about interventionist military policies, whether or not they've been effective. Try pitching stories to one of the big newspapers about... You know, maybe some kind of downside to an invasion or an occupation or the expansion of, you know, a thousand military bases in the Middle East or whatever it is.

Absolutely. You think so? Oh, 100%. I think that. I think that especially when you're talking about interventionist military policies, whether or not they've been effective. Try pitching stories to one of the big newspapers about... You know, maybe some kind of downside to an invasion or an occupation or the expansion of, you know, a thousand military bases in the Middle East or whatever it is.

Drone warfare, like, you know, you're going to have a hard time selling that one, right?

Drone warfare, like, you know, you're going to have a hard time selling that one, right?

Drone warfare, like, you know, you're going to have a hard time selling that one, right?

Yeah, and it's worse in TV than it is in print, but it shouldn't be, right? And I got the same thing. I mean, not so much at Rolling Stone, but I remember we did one story where our plan was to do one story on what caused the financial crisis. And we got such an overwhelming response because it wasn't anywhere. People could not read anywhere.

Yeah, and it's worse in TV than it is in print, but it shouldn't be, right? And I got the same thing. I mean, not so much at Rolling Stone, but I remember we did one story where our plan was to do one story on what caused the financial crisis. And we got such an overwhelming response because it wasn't anywhere. People could not read anywhere.

Yeah, and it's worse in TV than it is in print, but it shouldn't be, right? And I got the same thing. I mean, not so much at Rolling Stone, but I remember we did one story where our plan was to do one story on what caused the financial crisis. And we got such an overwhelming response because it wasn't anywhere. People could not read anywhere.

Right, but it wasn't so much what I was doing. It was just the fact of, you know, how does this work? Who was really profiting by it? What happened to the people who bought these homes? Et cetera, et cetera. Just basic questions, and people wanted to know. And as you discover, they want to know other things. Where are they spending the money that I send every year that goes to the Pentagon?

Right, but it wasn't so much what I was doing. It was just the fact of, you know, how does this work? Who was really profiting by it? What happened to the people who bought these homes? Et cetera, et cetera. Just basic questions, and people wanted to know. And as you discover, they want to know other things. Where are they spending the money that I send every year that goes to the Pentagon?

Right, but it wasn't so much what I was doing. It was just the fact of, you know, how does this work? Who was really profiting by it? What happened to the people who bought these homes? Et cetera, et cetera. Just basic questions, and people wanted to know. And as you discover, they want to know other things. Where are they spending the money that I send every year that goes to the Pentagon?

That's right. Right? How does it disappear into a black hole and it's not auditable and that's okay?

That's right. Right? How does it disappear into a black hole and it's not auditable and that's okay?