Stories by Russ Baker

Russ Baker is editor of WhoWhatWhy.com and author of "Family of Secrets: The Bush Dynasty, America’s Invisible Government and the Hidden History of the Last Fifty Years." subscribe to Russ Baker's feed

Why We May See a Kinder, Gentler and Cheaper Medical Care System

Posted on: Dec 7, 2012, Source: WhoWhatWhy

The idea is that a more flexible, more humane, and more responsive medical practice is actually a money-saver.

Oil Companies Bribing Gulf States to Ignore Spill?

Posted on: Oct 3, 2012, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

Gulf states want more of a share of money from drilling, but will the public really benefit?

Treasure Trove of Mineral Wealth: The Real Reason for the Afghan War?

Posted on: Sep 10, 2012, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

A New York Times story on Afghanistan's mineral wealth ignores the extent to which imperial-style resource grabs are the real drivers of foreign policy and wars.

Why Mass Shootings Have Become Commonplace in Our Country

Posted on: Jul 21, 2012, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

How the Corporate Media is Snookering You on Syria

Posted on: Jun 28, 2012, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

The hijacking of the Arab Spring has been aided by a media that airs propaganda on Syria.

Why Is the Government Withholding Documents About JFK's Assassination?

Posted on: Jun 1, 2012, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

JFK assassination documents offer surprising lessons about government secrecy -- and Obama's presidency.

Why Do Sex Scandals Destroy Democrats But Not Republicans?

Posted on: May 20, 2012, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

Not all politicians are created equal. And not all are treated equally. Therein lies an issue deserving a closer look: whether vulnerable Democrats are targeted for destruction.

8 Things You Need to Know About America's Private Prison Industry

Posted on: May 4, 2012, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

America’s system of detaining and monitoring "criminals" impacts more people than ever before.

The Oakland Paradox: Obama, Weed, and Guns

Posted on: Apr 6, 2012, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

Having secured the democratic vote based on the right-wing options, Obama is cracking down on medical marijuana to appeal to new voters and maintain Big Pharma's allegiance.

The Jeb Scenario: Can You Say “President Bush” Again?

Posted on: Mar 1, 2012, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

Anyone who declares that Americans will not stand for another Bush presidency is sorely underestimating the Bush family.

How Conservatives Silence Critics of Religion

Posted on: Feb 29, 2012, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

We're right to worry about a candidate's religious beliefs when they threaten our liberties.

Obama's World of War

Posted on: Oct 22, 2011, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

American Interventionism (Everywhere)!

Is the Saudi Royal Family Connected to 9/11 Hijackers?

Posted on: Sep 22, 2011, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

New evidence links the Saudi royal family to Saudis in South Florida, who reportedly had contact with the 9/11 hijackers before fleeing the US prior to the attacks.

The Untold Story in Libya: How the West Cooked Up the "People's Uprising"

Posted on: Sep 2, 2011, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

Wait! Did the West just engineer the overthrow of another unpopular regime to get at an easy supply of oil?

Who's Behind The New Yorker's "Official" Story Of The Raid That Killed Bin Laden?

Posted on: Aug 17, 2011, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

On closer inspection, the widely-celebrated New Yorker cover story on the death of Osama Bin Laden raises more questions than it answers.

12 Ways Rupert Murdoch's Media Empire Has Made the World Worse

Posted on: Jul 25, 2011, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

Rupert Murdoch has done a whole lot more damage over his career than what is being revealed in the hacking scandal.

What’s Up With Obama, Torture, and Secrecy?

Posted on: May 31, 2011, Source: WhoWhatWhy

Jonathan Rowe, 1946-2011 - Senior Editor at WhoWhatWhy

Posted on: Mar 26, 2011, Source: WhoWhatWhy

The Media's Role in the Assault on Working People

Posted on: Jan 26, 2011, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

A common theme runs through a variety of news stories: there isn’t enough money around, and so working people must take a hit. But is that really the only solution?

Exposing the Dirty Truth That Bush's New Memoir Tries to Cover Up

Posted on: Nov 9, 2010, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

Investigative journalist Russ Baker offers a corrective counter-narrative to Bush's 'Decision Points.'

Bob Woodward's Dark Side -- Famed Reporter Carries Water for the Pentagon

Posted on: Oct 1, 2010, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

A crucial aspect of Bob Woodward's career that has been ignored by most of the media: Woodward is the military's man, and always has been.

What Obama Is Up Against in His Own Branch of Government

Posted on: Nov 10, 2009, Source: TruthOut.org

Americans harbor a quaint belief a new president takes charge of a govt. eagerly awaiting his orders. But there are huge power centers that have their own agendas.

Media Enabled Bush 1's Savage Attacks on Maddow and Olbermann, Yet Continue to Ignore Bush Family's Sordid Past

Posted on: Oct 20, 2009, Source: AlterNet

George HW Bush gets a free pass for attacks without evidence, meanwhile his CIA ties remain largely ignored and his son's lies about Iraq remain unprosecuted.

There's a Lot More to Arrested Financier Hassan Nemazee's Past Than Just Being a 'Clinton Fundraiser'

Posted on: Aug 28, 2009, Source: WhoWhatWhy.com

Nemazee was much more than just a Clinton fundraiser -- he was a bipartisan financier of the influence bazaar that American politics has become.

Obama Should Worry About the Bush Family Tentacles Undermining His Plans

Posted on: Jan 21, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Bush may be gone, but his influence -- and the forces that put him in office -- aren't.

Hillary's Mystery Money Men

Posted on: Oct 21, 2007, Source: The Nation

The man who helped make Bush's first fortune now wants to claim the Clinton campaign. Is someone cooking the books at Hillary Inc.?

The Top 10 Corporate Democrats-For-Hire

Posted on: Aug 23, 2006, Source: AlterNet

They claim to be 'centrists,' but these D.C. Dems -- whose corporate agendas aren't too different from Bush administration policies -- are living proof that the system needs fixing.

Getting Past the Watergate Fixation

Posted on: May 10, 2006, Source: TomPaine.com

The ongoing GOP corruption scandals are just the tip of the iceberg. The real problem is how business is done every day in Washington.

Media Hurricane

Posted on: Sep 7, 2005, Source: TomPaine.com

The media responded to the Katrina debacle with some high winds of their own.

The Sins of Judith Miller

Posted on: Jun 23, 2005, Source: AlterNet

The New York Times reporter who helped spread the fallacy that Saddam Hussein had WMD has a new beat: discrediting the United Nations.

Fishing for New Environmentalists

Posted on: Mar 27, 2005, Source: AlterNet

Thus far, the environmental movement and progressives in general have not done nearly enough to engage the millions of Americans who hunt and fish.

Election 2004: Stolen or Lost

Posted on: Jan 9, 2005, Source: TomPaine.com

As time passes and allegations of fraud are investigated, it seems clearer that the story of the 2004 election is more about incompetence and dysfunction than intentional misconduct.

Skipping Texas for Alabama

Posted on: Sep 14, 2004, Source: The Nation

There is increasing evidence that Bush left his Texas Air National Guard unit in '72 for Alabama because he was having problems piloting a fighter jet.

'Scoops' and Truth at the Times

Posted on: Jun 8, 2003, Source: The Nation

If the Times is serious about reform, it needs to stop looking just at troublesome cases like Jayson Blair and to examine its star system.

Comparing American and British War Coverage

Posted on: Apr 27, 2003, Source: The Nation

British reporting corraled facts and asked tough questions, while American press viewed the war as a chance to present an "exciting" story within narrow limits.

Want to Be a Patriot? Do Your Job

Posted on: Jun 13, 2002, Source: Columbia Journalism Review

Journalists are wrapping themselves in the stars-and-stripes at a time when tough-minded reporting is needed more than ever.