While I agree with almost everything you have said about this issue and appreciate your reportage (and have no truck with cultists) there are a couple of things you have said recently that give me pause. First, Gradient is not a reputable "independent" research firm by any stretch ... they are guns for hire surreptitiously running hedge funds out of their back office and courting business from hedge funds by almost any means necessary. The SEC has found dubious practices and activities there and perhaps unfortunately a guilt by association investigation has unfolded. They arent defensible and they are a liability to the securities biz. Second, while I agree that journalistic freedom is kind of an absolute imperative, I think there should be some questioning of this generation of street.com/CNBC journalists whose goal is to move markets and stocks. I see more Jim Cramer in Herb than I do Gary Weiss in Herb. I mean 41 stories on a small REIT that while it may have questionable accounting is not a staggering fraud? Taking an assassin like focus on that company while hundreds of other scandals and frauds persist? You gotta ask why. Its obvious Cramer and Herb pride themselves on moving stocks -- isnt that a slippery slope for any journalist? And, one thing that disgusts me is their disdain for the subpeonas they received. Isnt it true that when a company or exec receives a subpeona Herb or Cramer would immediately take that as proof of guilt? Many financial journalists would, but why in this case is it different? Suggesting that the entire enforcement arm of the SEC has run amok under the spell of conspiracies just doesnt fly. There has to be layers of hard evidence.
Vicious attacks is just about all they do over at Phils site . Same thing with NCANS , which is another site run by Phil Saunders and which got funding help from Byrne.
I like this blog
i wonder, is the press at the OSTK / Gradient court hearing ? They should be
NCANS received at least $50,000 from Byrne. That was confirmed awhile back by Byrne. I am sure it is more now though.
Those are not bad guys, those are assholes
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