Listen "PROPUBLICA"
Episode Synopsis
PROPUBLICA has taken on the role abdicated by most mainstream news organizations. Its long form journalism, while controversial, takes on many special interests that escape public scrutiny.
While I often don’t agree with the slant that they take, ProPublica represents a new frontier for the fourth column.
Traditional news outlets make less and less business sense. I wanted to find out more about how long form journalism is going to work going forward and how it will apply to financial regulation.
So I spoke to JUSTIN ELLIOTT, an Investigative Reporter at ProPublica.
Justin has won the Gerald Loeb Award for business journalism, the Selden Ring Award for a series on the American Red Cross and, with the “Trump, Inc.” podcast team, a duPont-Columbia Award.
He co-wrote the story revealing tech mogul Peter Thiel’s multibillion-dollar Roth IRA which we talk about here.
Justin’s Path to Reporting
The Role of PROPUBLICA in Long Form Journalism
What are its origins?
What is its mandate?
How is it funded?
What is the Role of Journalism in (Re) Establishing Accountability in Society?
What is Congress’ (and the other branches of government) role in fixing the issues that journalism uncovers?
Peter Thiel’s $5 Billion Roth
What happened? (How did Thiel get assets into a Roth IRA with a $2K cap?)
How did this work? (Funding a Roth IRA with low value Founders’ shares)
The “Law”, the Intent of the “Law” and the Variability around the “Law”?
Is this a valuation issue as much as a legal issue?
Is it wrong?
How should we correct a distortion like this?
What’s next for Justin and ProPublica and how do we find him?
2024 Election Coverage
Justin at ProPublica
Justin at Twitter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1YOe9GV0MY
https://youtu.be/Ao33oyZJuC8
https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Actually-Intelligent-Decision-Making-1-ebook/dp/B07FPQJJQT
Buy “Wealth Actually” Paperback, Kindle and Audio
While I often don’t agree with the slant that they take, ProPublica represents a new frontier for the fourth column.
Traditional news outlets make less and less business sense. I wanted to find out more about how long form journalism is going to work going forward and how it will apply to financial regulation.
So I spoke to JUSTIN ELLIOTT, an Investigative Reporter at ProPublica.
Justin has won the Gerald Loeb Award for business journalism, the Selden Ring Award for a series on the American Red Cross and, with the “Trump, Inc.” podcast team, a duPont-Columbia Award.
He co-wrote the story revealing tech mogul Peter Thiel’s multibillion-dollar Roth IRA which we talk about here.
Justin’s Path to Reporting
The Role of PROPUBLICA in Long Form Journalism
What are its origins?
What is its mandate?
How is it funded?
What is the Role of Journalism in (Re) Establishing Accountability in Society?
What is Congress’ (and the other branches of government) role in fixing the issues that journalism uncovers?
Peter Thiel’s $5 Billion Roth
What happened? (How did Thiel get assets into a Roth IRA with a $2K cap?)
How did this work? (Funding a Roth IRA with low value Founders’ shares)
The “Law”, the Intent of the “Law” and the Variability around the “Law”?
Is this a valuation issue as much as a legal issue?
Is it wrong?
How should we correct a distortion like this?
What’s next for Justin and ProPublica and how do we find him?
2024 Election Coverage
Justin at ProPublica
Justin at Twitter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1YOe9GV0MY
https://youtu.be/Ao33oyZJuC8
https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Actually-Intelligent-Decision-Making-1-ebook/dp/B07FPQJJQT
Buy “Wealth Actually” Paperback, Kindle and Audio
More episodes of the podcast Wealth Actually
THE BIRTH OF AN ETF
19/12/2025
DIVORCE FOR THE WEALTHY WOMAN
01/12/2025
THE TENNESSEE WEALTH ECOSYSTEM
23/11/2025
THE MUSIC BUSINESS: “REPUTATION OVER FAME”
12/11/2025
FAMILY OFFICE SECURITY
22/10/2025
US FOREIGN POLICY
03/10/2025
TAX ALPHA
21/08/2025
WELL BEING TRUST
11/08/2025
INSIDE THE BEZOS PRE-NUP
04/08/2025
THE WEALTH LADDER
24/07/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.