Dennis Moore

Background

About Dennis Moore

I have told more stories to more kinds of people about understanding economics than most reporters and writers you'll find. Over the years, I've been telling the stories of what's happening in the economy and what people are saying about it to everyone from local television news viewers to professionals with the Thomson trading terminal. Writing or talking, I can make it clear what's going on. And I don't just explain what was happening -I was there when it happened. That means standing at the foot of the Treasury stairs on Sunday evening when Hank Paulson came down to announce the TARP. It means more than a decade of sitting in Capitol Hill hearing rooms translating Alan Greenspan-and finding him less murky than he was made out to be. It includes sitting by chance in Ben Bernanke's boardroom chair when the staff brought in a group of reporters to show us the changes in its reports to account for the new credit easing facilities. It includes reporting from every lockup for every major piece of economic data the government releases-including the FOMC decisions and statements. And it includes sitting in Houston living rooms listening to people tell me about the losses they endured when Enron collapsed. It's not just the numbers, it's the story—that's how I do economic reporting. I never just recite a list of facts, I tell the story in a way that gives viewers a feel for what's going on and why. I don't do ping pong interviews, I have a conversation. When I interview someone, I am listening to what the person is trying to convey as well as asking my own questions-you'd be surprised, maybe not, how many reporter don't. I want to hear the emotion behind the facts or the spin.