Bernstein and Eisinger on 'The Magnetar Trade' — ProPublica

Podcast

Bernstein and Eisinger on 'The Magnetar Trade'

by Brent Gardner-Smith

April 23, 2010, 4:59 a.m. EDT

This week on the ProPublica podcast, a conversation with ProPublica reporters Jesse Eisinger and Jake Bernstein and Adam Davidson of NPR's "Planet Money" about the ProPublica story "The Magnetar Trade." Listen as Eisinger and Bernstein describe how in the summer of 2009 they started "road testing" a theory brought to them by Davidson and Alex Blumberg of Chicago Public Radio's "This American Life" about the underpinnings of the 2008 financial meltdown.

The two reporters describe how they put together a database of bankers to contact, how they methodically asked questions of reluctant sources, and how they delved into the complex and arcane world of mortgage-backed securities. Anyone interested in investigative reporting will enjoy hearing this behind-the-scenes review of how the two reporters worked for more than seven months to understand an amazingly complex situation and then turned it into a highly readable and intriguing story.

They also discuss the collaboration between ProPublica and "This American Life" that lea to a radio program called "Inside Job," and where the idea to develop a Broadway show tune called "Bet Against the American Dream" came from.

Click here to download the podcast.

You can read the full ProPublica story here: "The Magnetar Trade."

You can listen to the This American Life program here: "Inside Job."

You can watch the video of the production of: "Bet Against the American Dream."

Other articles related to this podcast:

The Anatomy of the Magnetar Trade

The Timeline of the Magnetar Deals

Your Magnetar Questions, Answered

Magnetar Letters to Investors About Our Story – And Our Response

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