The hottest Investigative Substack posts right now

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Associated Press Cannot Explain Bewildering Reporting on FDA’s Tracy Hoeg and Antidepressant Risks

The DisInformation Chronicle • 600 implied HN points • 09 Mar 26
📰 News Investigative
  1. A major news story alleged an FDA regulator had a conflict of interest for backing a colleague’s petition, but the reporting did not provide legal or policy evidence and editors did not answer requests for clarification.
  2. A clinician has petitioned the FDA to add pregnancy warnings for antidepressants, citing multiple peer‑reviewed studies — including a Nature Communications paper — that link prenatal SSRI exposure to later child anxiety and brain differences.
  3. Conflict‑of‑interest experts and HHS/FDA officials say friendship alone isn’t a legal COI and agencies have no formal definition of “friend,” which raises questions about the accuracy of the coverage.

The Epstein Files: The Blackmail of Billionaire Leon Black and Epstein's Role in It

Glenn Greenwald • 2340 implied HN points • 16 Feb 26
📰 News Investigative
  1. Epstein used intimate secrets to extort Leon Black, forcing him to pay millions and desperately try to hide an affair.
  2. Epstein embedded himself in billionaires’ lives to gain control over finances and relationships, and he used private investigators and threats—including invoking Russian contacts—to silence dangers to those ties.
  3. Official claims denied a broad client-list blackmail scheme, but the public documents show clear extortion tactics and many redactions leave bigger questions unanswered.

Note to Readers

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 9337 implied HN points • 01 Dec 25
📰 News Investigative
  1. Keeping a dispassionate distance and prioritizing accuracy over political outcomes used to be a core journalistic virtue, and it helped reporters focus on facts.
  2. In recent years that model has been displaced by advocacy and moral-certainty journalism, which quickly sidelined many old-school, just-the-facts reporters.
  3. The plan is to refocus on phone calls, primary sources and fewer opinions to revive a fact-based ethos, while adopting a tougher, more unapologetic tone during a brief retooling.

In Response to an Epstein Comment

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 5489 implied HN points • 20 Dec 25
📰 News Investigative
  1. Publishing photos or lists that put powerful people next to criminal allegations doesn’t prove those people were involved; you need context and direct evidence to show any real overlap.
  2. Assembling connections or 'contacts' can suggest a conspiracy even when there’s no proven link to wrongdoing, so such compilations can be misleading without further proof.
  3. To establish a criminal 'ring' investigators must show direct ties to the crimes—like victim complaints, documents, or corroborating evidence—rather than relying on friendships or casual associations.

WATCH: The Epstein Tapes

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1006 implied HN points • 10 Feb 26
📰 News Investigative
  1. The Department of Justice released a massive trove of Epstein-related files that includes roughly 2,000 videos, but the videos are hard to access because there’s no central index and automated downloads are blocked.
  2. Data Set 10 contains about 14 hours of footage taken from Epstein’s devices, and those clips were consolidated so people can view them without downloading the entire archive.
  3. Although many clips are heavily redacted, the videos together reveal Epstein’s lavish lifestyle and disturbing sexual content, including material involving minors, while other released sets include prison CCTV that shows his movements in custody.
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From New York Times Shanghai bureau chief to U.S. intelligence contractor

All-Source Intelligence Fusion • 895 implied HN points • 10 Jan 26
📰 News Investigative
  1. A former New York Times Shanghai bureau chief founded a China-focused media and intelligence company that depends heavily on U.S. government customers and has spent money lobbying defense and intelligence budgets.
  2. The company and partners like DarkOwl publicly demonstrated leaked Chinese credentials and said they conduct collection behind the Chinese firewall, even showing passwords from the Naz.API breach.
  3. Close ties to Pentagon contracts, intelligence-affiliated partners, and “government-only” briefings blur the line between journalism and private intelligence work, which risks fueling distrust between the U.S. and China.

New column by me in the Wall Street Journal: The Epstein ‘Transparency’ Travesty

Michael Tracey • 76 implied HN points • 04 Mar 26
📰 News Investigative
  1. A major newspaper column offers a distinct, possibly first-of-its-kind perspective on the Epstein Files within mainstream American media.
  2. A profile in an entertainment outlet quoted something the interviewee says they didn’t say, and the interviewee emphasizes avoiding the loaded phrase “conspiracy theory” in favor of a more measured stance.
  3. The column is being shared via a free online link and will appear in the newspaper’s print edition, and the related profile was unexpected but came across as generally positive.

BREAKING: I found the real "coverup" in the Epstein Files!

Michael Tracey • 170 implied HN points • 09 Feb 26
📰 News Investigative
  1. Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York said they were unable to corroborate Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s central claims and noted numerous internal inconsistencies, admissions of lying, and unverified sensational statements.
  2. Her allegations became the linchpin of much of the Epstein trafficking and blackmail narrative and produced major media, political, and legal fallout, even as prosecutors documented serious doubts about her credibility.
  3. A DOJ memo outlining these doubts was uploaded and later removed, raising questions about how documents and evidence in the Epstein matter have been handled and what may have been concealed.

Today's Epstein’s Records Destroy Official Narratives

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 64 implied HN points • 10 Feb 26
📰 News Investigative
  1. Camera footage from the jail around Epstein’s death was deliberately removed, with documents saying an FBI agent physically took a hard drive so the key recordings are gone.
  2. Epstein ordered 55 gallons of sulfuric acid the same day a federal child‑sex trafficking probe began, a quantity that strongly suggests intent to destroy large amounts of material rather than any ordinary use.
  3. A federal record mentions a decoy dead body, and the files that survived redactions and delays collectively undermine the official account and point toward possible coordinated cover‑ups.

10 Things I Learned From the Epstein Files

The Corbett Report • 38 implied HN points • 07 Feb 26
📰 News Investigative
  1. Jeffrey Epstein had deep ties to intelligence services, wealthy elites, and global institutions, appearing to act as an operative, fixer and broker between governments, businesses and security actors.
  2. The released files show troubling links across finance, technology and internet culture — from coded "pizza" communications and 4chan connections to funding in bitcoin and gaming — suggesting a broad network of influence and possible abuse, though many items are suggestive rather than definitive.
  3. The DOJ release is partial and heavily redacted, exposed survivors, and left major questions unanswered about his death and who else was involved, prompting calls for more documents and accountability.

Do DOJ Docs Show Epstein Death Notice A Day Early?

QTR’s Fringe Finance • 18 implied HN points • 07 Feb 26
📰 News Investigative
  1. A DOJ press release about Jeffrey Epstein’s death is dated August 9, 2019 even though he was reported found dead early on August 10.
  2. The most likely explanations are mundane: the statement could have been drafted in advance or a clerical/automated timestamp error occurred, and a date mismatch alone doesn’t prove prior knowledge.
  3. A simple clarification of how release dates are assigned (draft date vs. publication date) would likely reduce speculation, since small bureaucratic inconsistencies fuel mistrust in high‑profile cases.

How a former 60 Minutes producer raised six figures in donations to launch an LGBTQ-focused media outlet

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter • 249 implied HN points • 18 Aug 25
📰 News Investigative
  1. Spencer Macnaughton started Uncloseted Media to focus on investigative journalism that looks deep into anti-LGBTQ discrimination. He believes there's a real need for this kind of reporting.
  2. He raised a significant amount of money from wealthy donors to launch his nonprofit news outlet. This shows that people are willing to support quality journalism with a focused mission.
  3. Macnaughton, who worked for 60 Minutes and the Wall Street Journal, left those jobs because he wanted to uncover the hidden forces that influence anti-LGBTQ movements, rather than just reporting on surface issues.

Avraham Eisenberg Sentenced to 52 Months in Prison for Child Porn Following Karlstack Investigation

Karlstack • 380 implied HN points • 03 Jun 25
📰 News Investigative
  1. Avraham Eisenberg was sentenced to 52 months in prison for possessing child pornography. This followed an investigation that unveiled serious crimes connected to him.
  2. Before his arrest, Eisenberg exploited the Mango Markets crypto protocol, leading to significant financial gains. His actions had serious consequences in the crypto world.
  3. The investigation not only held Eisenberg accountable but also showed the risks that investigative journalists face when exposing wrongdoing.

Top Links 629 The Credit Suisse Nazi cover-up. Global bond tremors. The Atlas of drowned towns & Eric Dolphy's last date.

Chartbook • 357 implied HN points • 25 Jan 25
📰 News Investigative
  1. Credit Suisse was involved in a Nazi cover-up, suggesting significant issues with accountability in major financial institutions.
  2. Global bond markets are experiencing turbulence, which may affect investors and the economy overall.
  3. Eric Dolphy's last performance and the concept of towns that have been drowned offer cultural and historical insights into forgotten places and stories.

Reader mail

The Watch • 437 implied HN points • 09 Oct 23
📰 News Investigative
  1. Investigative journalism requires patience and may not always result in a story.
  2. Finding stories involves tips from various sources like public defenders and casual conversations.
  3. Keeping content free can be rewarding in terms of subscriber support and belief in your work.

What Is Journalism?

Castalia • 119 implied HN points • 14 Dec 22
📰 News Investigative
  1. Journalism should be about curiosity and exploring the world. It's not just about following strict rules or writing the same way as everyone else.
  2. Many news organizations focus too much on entertainment and opinions instead of real reporting. This shift takes away from the true purpose of journalism.
  3. The internet offers a chance to bring back the original spirit of journalism, where anyone can share their views and stories without being limited by old-school standards.