This is a guest post by Barry Ritholtz, editor of The Big Picture Blog and author of the newly released book, Bailout Nation.

Over the past five years, I have appeared on various Financial TV shows over a 100 times. But I am also a huge consumer of financial news, in print, on the web, radio, and of course, TV. Being on both sides of the camera gives me a fairly good perspective on what does and doesn’t work on TV. I also have some strong ideas as to what is good and bad TV in terms of providing a social utility, being part of the democratic process, etc.

Indeed, this is a longstanding interest of mine. Over the weekend, I referenced the current Columbia Journalism Review (CJR) issue that focused on the role of the media in the credit crisis, stock market and economic

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Kate Kelly's book, Street Fighters: The Last 72 Hours of Bear Stearns, the Toughest Firm on Wall Street, now on our recommended reading list, is a great source of information and fun to read.  It is well-sourced, authoritative, and always interesting. Does it provide, through a look at Bear, the answers to our financial crisis?  We think not, but that is part of the fun.  The reader can collect information -- raw data -- with real confidence.  There will be many accounts of the financial crisis.  Anyone seeking a complete understanding should consult many sources. The Approach Street Fighters tells an engaging tale focused upon how a mighty firm was reduced to rubble in three days.  You know the ending before you start reading, but it is no less engaging.  The author has a nice sense of the characters and has done ...

Day after day we get continued evidence of a major policy mistake that is costly for the average investor with a retirement account. The Bush Administration, led by Hank Paulson, stepped in when faced with a crisis.  It was courageous and correct, even if the plan was a bit sketchy. When they finally got Congressional approval it included both additional powers and additional oversight.  Paulson used the additional powers to make direct investments in financial firms, something that many top economists and fund managers thought was a good idea.  This move took the "bulls eye" off of some of the top firms.  It was a good step for an immediate crisis. The Mistake It was at this point that Paulson's effort went off the rails.  We have listened and read everything on this topic.  From our perspective, as experienced observers of government, we think that Paulson ...