Topic: Investigative Reporting

Conflicting reports regarding the total cost of the Mueller investigation are discussed, with figures ranging from $20 million to over $50 million. The hosts propose standardizing the number at $33 million for their audience to propagate on social media. This is framed as a response to the lack of a definitive, transparent accounting of the Special Counsel's expenses.

ProPublica's "Documenting Hate" project seeks to create a new database of hate crimes, claiming that FBI statistics are unreliable because many law enforcement agencies do not participate. The project relies on self-reported stories from individuals who believe they were victims of bias. Critics argue that relying on unverified personal accounts rather than official police data leads to subjective and potentially rigged results.

Author Peter Schweizer's upcoming book, *Clinton Cash*, is identified as the source for recent mainstream media investigations into the Clinton family's finances. The New York Times confirmed they used Schweizer's research as a "tip sheet" for their own reporting. Schweizer, president of the Government Accountability Institute, has a history of investigating political corruption and foreign influence in U.S. elections.

Sarah Bajc, the partner of a passenger on MH370, has moved from Malaysia to Beijing and continues to appear on CNN to criticize the investigation. The hosts find her calm demeanor and use of professional terminology like "agencies" and "investigative reporting" to be suspicious. They speculate on her background and the possibility that she is being used as a media asset to maintain public interest in the story.

The Omidyar-Greenwald project is analyzed as a commercialized version of WikiLeaks, focusing on receiving documents from whistleblowers and selling investigative reports to major publications like the New York Times and Le Monde. Jeremy Scahill confirms the goal is to find independent sources of information and partner with global journalists. The venture is seen as a way to professionalize and monetize the leaking of state secrets.

A 60 Minutes segment featuring Anderson Cooper diving with crocodiles is mocked for its lack of journalistic substance. The hosts play audio of Cooper describing the "intimidating" nature of the animals while underwater. They characterize the report as "idiotic" and emblematic of the decline of prestige news programs into entertainment.

The hosts speculate that investigative reporting may move toward a foundation-funded model, though they warn this could lead to conflicts of interest. They compare the inefficiency of unionized newspaper reporters to the high output of modern bloggers. Adam Curry highlights how Twitter is being used as a new form of RSS for real-time headline distribution.

Investigative reporter George Weber was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment. Weber was known for his work at the San Jose Mercury News exposing government involvement in drug trafficking. While some reports suggest a suicide, the hosts speculate on the possibility of foul play given his history of uncovering sensitive government operations.

The feasibility of creating a user-supported news organization is explored, with cost estimates ranging from $45,000 to $100,000 per reporter annually. The model would prioritize decentralized operations over expensive downtown offices to maximize investigative budgets. References are made to the reputations of the Drudge Report and Huffington Post as successful examples of non-traditional media influence.

The book "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" by Greg Palast highlights the failure of mainstream American media to conduct deep investigative reporting. Palast's work on the scrubbing of black voters from Florida eligibility lists in 2004 is cited as an example of critical news that is often ignored in favor of "packaged" stories and press releases.

A controversy on the Isle of Jersey involving the discovery of what were initially reported as children's bones highlights public distrust in media corrections. Despite 30 eyewitnesses testifying to abuse, later official reports claimed the remains were animal bones, leading to accusations of a cover-up and a refusal by some to believe the revised narrative.