Clarence Nathan was a man with three part-time jobs who earned about $45,000 a year, and yet a bank loaned him $540,000. The bank never checked his income.

"I wouldn't have loaned me the money, and nobody that I know would have loaned me the money," Nathan said. "I mean, I know guys who are criminals who wouldn't lend me that money, and they'd break your kneecap."

But this kind of lending happened, over and over again since 2003, leading to the mortgage crisis that has disrupted the global economy.

How did this mess happen? Through the news media you can pick up bits and pieces. But how many people really understand the housing crisis, why Bear Stearns went under, or sub-prime mortgages, or why the rest of the world was pulled under too?

Continue reading "THE GIANT POOL OF MONEY" >

After hearing an NPR piece about a man who risked his life to sneak into the U.S. to earn money for a sick daughter, Kathy Khazen wanted to do something.

So did about 20 other listeners from around the country.

The story of Julio Cuellar was compelling. When Cuellar learned his pregnant daughter had cancer, he knew he needed more money than he earned as a low-paying policeman in El Salvador. He hired a smuggler and tried to get to the U.S. But he didn't make it.

"Julio has diabetes and nearly died in the Arizona desert," NPR Correspondent Jennifer Ludden reported on April 7. "He ran out of insulin and became sick, and his smuggler abandoned him. It was two days with no food or shelter before he was rescued by the U.S. Border Patrol. What would make someone do this -- especially a middle-aged man with a full-time job? Julio's daughter, Guadalupe, blames herself."

Ludden and producer Marisa Penaloza discovered Cuellar at the airport in El Salvador just after he was deported from the U.S. He'd lost 40 pounds, felt humiliated, and was behind on payments for his two-bedroom house.

Then came the emails and phone calls from listeners after the story aired.

Continue reading "WHEN LISTENERS WANT TO SEND MONEY TO PEOPLE IN STORIES" >

Many comments are not posted because of length (over 200 words) or because they don't relate to the issue in that column.

In the past I have made exceptions and posted comments, but let's stay on topic. Think of it this way -- if you hosted a book club meeting at your house, you wouldn't want someone to show up and insist on discussing reality TV shows.

Now that the column is in its 5th month, I'd like to offer a gentle reminder to refer to our Discussion Guidelines. I'd encourage you to keep them in mind while posting in the future.

Thanks and happy reading,
Chantal de la Rionda
Office of the Ombudsman

UPDATE on May 20, 2008: The Infinite Mind has added an Underwriting page after the recent criticism and added fuller disclosure about a guest.

NPR is a complicated news entity.

It produces 59 hours of original news programming each week heard across the public radio system, the best-known of which are Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Then, it distributes 18 shows such as Car Talk, The Diane Rehm Show, and Fresh Air, which local public radio stations or independent producers create without any direct NPR editorial control.

And then there are other shows on NPR's three channels on Sirius: NPR, NPR Talk, and NPR Now. Some shows are produced by NPR, some are simply distributed by NPR and some are independently produced.

Got that?

Continue reading "IS "THE INFINITE MIND" AN NPR SHOW? " >

SEAN BELL UPDATE: May 20, 2008
Charges filed against a group of officers involved in the Bell shooting.

Last week, I was at a two-day workshop on how to better cover race and ethnicity. There won't be a column this week, but I am including an email that a listener sent me about race and the Sean Bell story. Bell was a young, unarmed African-American who New York City police killed hours before his wedding. On April 25, the three officers were acquitted. One officer was white; the other two black. Should NPR have mentioned the race of the officers?

Continue reading "RACIST COVERAGE? " >