(10.08.08) Recommends:

This American Life's Exploration of the Financial Crisis.

We've extolled the virtues of TAL on the blog many times. Most likely we're just preaching to the choir when we say it's one of the most important cultural voices coming out of this country. But their handling of the current economic crisis -- breaking it down into understandable terms -- exceeded even our expectations of what we thought the show was capable of producing. We don't think it's hyperbole to suggest that these two episodes might be the most important pieces of journalisms we'll consume this year. If you haven't listened already, you really need to hear these.

The Giant Pool of Money. This is the original episode; originally aired 05.09.08.

Another Frightening Show About the Economy. The follow-up episode, created due to the overwhelming popularity of the first episode; originally aired 10.03.08.