The Little Girl in Grave 1565

For 47 years after she died in a tragic circus fire, no one knew her name. This is the story of two people: one obsessed with finding out who she was, the other wanting only to forget what happened.

Author: Gary Smith
Source: Life
Published: Nov 1, 1991
Length: 19 minutes (4,872 words)

When Washington Took On Wall Street

Nearly 80 years ago, on Capitol Hill, Ferdinand Pecora forced J. P. Morgan Jr. and other “banksters” to reveal the corruption that had fueled the Great Depression—bringing shame on the financial industry and resulting in new laws to curb abuses. The author looks back at the Pecora Commission hearings, and asks why there is no comparable investigation now.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Jun 1, 2010
Length: 19 minutes (4,872 words)

The Enemy Within

When the Conficker computer “worm” was unleashed on the world in November 2008, cyber-security experts didn’t know what to make of it.

Source: The Atlantic
Published: Jun 1, 2010
Length: 34 minutes (8,735 words)

Rage Machine

Andrew Breitbart’s empire of bluster.

Source: The New Yorker
Published: May 24, 2010
Length: 27 minutes (6,944 words)

What the War Did to Andy

In the Air Force special ops, my friend Andy Kubik was the best of the best, a true American hero. As much as any one man, he was responsible for breaking the Taliban’s control of Afghanistan. But now, back at home, he’s fighting just to stay sane.

Source: Men’s Journal
Published: Mar 24, 2010
Length: 26 minutes (6,601 words)

Boss Kelly

The long-serving NYPD commissioner is autocratic, dismissive of civil-liberties concerns — and effective. Is that a reasonable trade-off to keep the city safe?

Published: May 16, 2010
Length: 25 minutes (6,458 words)

Cass Sunstein Wants to Nudge Us

In “Nudge,” a popular book that he wrote with the influential behavioral economist Richard Thaler, Sunstein elaborated a philosophy called “libertarian paternalism.” Conservative economists have long stressed that because people are rational, the best way for government to serve the public is to guarantee a fair market and to otherwise get out of the way. But in the real world, Sunstein and Thaler argue, people are subject to all sorts of biases and quirks.

Published: May 13, 2010
Length: 17 minutes (4,419 words)

The New Sheriffs of Wall Street

Source: Time
Published: May 13, 2010
Length: 12 minutes (3,022 words)

Letter to a Young Reporter

Ten years ago, Justin Heckert emailed Walt Harrington a few clips and asked for some advice.

Source: Gangrey
Published: Apr 4, 2000
Length: 19 minutes (4,903 words)

Putting a Price on Words

This isn’t a lament about declining standards of quality or the rude incursions of amateur bloggers. In fact, thanks to the Internet, people probably read more good journalism than ever. That’s precisely the problem: the sheer volume of words has overwhelmed a business model that was once based on scarcity and limited choice.

Published: May 12, 2010
Length: 19 minutes (4,903 words)