Code Rouge

Cosmetic companies like Estée Lauder Cos., the company behind MAC, Clinique, and other popular brands have been battling counterfeit cosmetics for years. But the rise of sourcing websites such as China’s Alibaba has made it even easier for people to buy counterfeit makeup in bulk and sell them to unsuspecting buyers who believe they’re getting a deal on real products.

Published: Feb 22, 2017
Length: 14 minutes (3,698 words)

Netflix Wants the World to Binge-Watch

“The answer may reside in Brazil. It’s here, in the shadows of Globo, that Netflix has been creating, revising, and perfecting the first draft of its international playbook.” Over the past few years, the streaming service has grown to prominence in Brazil, setting the stage for expansion into more than 100 other countries.

Author: Lucas Shaw
Published: Jan 12, 2017
Length: 12 minutes (3,113 words)

Confessions of an Instagram Influencer

Can an agency turn anyone into an Instagram star? Bloomberg Businessweek reporter Max Chafkin volunteers to find out.

Published: Nov 30, 2016
Length: 13 minutes (3,353 words)

tronc If You Want to Save Journalism

The baffling story of what happened to a newspaper empire after a businessman named Michael Ferro took over.

Published: Nov 2, 2016
Length: 16 minutes (4,000 words)

How Hampton Creek Sold Silicon Valley on a Fake-Mayo Miracle

A vegan food company used false claims and “deployed a national network of contractors to secretly buy back” its products from grocery stores to raise millions from investors.

Published: Sep 21, 2016
Length: 17 minutes (4,479 words)

Secret Cameras Record Baltimore’s Every Move From Above

Since January, police have been testing an aerial surveillance system adapted from the surge in Iraq. And they neglected to tell the public.

Author: Monte Reel
Published: Aug 23, 2016
Length: 21 minutes (5,342 words)

A Mormon Tycoon Wants to Build Joseph Smith’s Mega-Utopia in Vermont

A wealthy Mormon engineer envisions a sustainable, high-tech, high-density community of 20,000 people in rural Vermont.

Published: Jul 20, 2016
Length: 15 minutes (3,766 words)

The Fake Factory That Pumped Out Real Money

One EPA engineer exposed a counterfeit biodiesel company in Texas, providing an interesting green-version of the classic swindle story, and evidence of how rich a field biofraud might be for con-artists.

Published: Jul 13, 2016
Length: 13 minutes (3,252 words)

The Braves Play Taxpayers Better Than They Play Baseball

“If there’s one thing the Braves know how to do, it’s how to get money out of taxpayers.”

Published: Apr 27, 2016
Length: 13 minutes (3,337 words)

Johnson & Johnson Has a Baby Powder Problem

More than 1,000 women are suing the company for failure to warn women of the potential risk of ovarian cancer linked to Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder.

Published: Mar 31, 2016
Length: 17 minutes (4,400 words)