J. David McSwane is an award-winning investigative journalist at ProPublica who recently published a story about Dr. Tom Weiner, a prominent oncologist at Helena’s St. Peter’s Hospital whose practices raised significant ethical, medical, and legal questions. McSwane takes us behind the scenes of his reporting process, sharing how he uncovered allegations of malpractice, including fraudulent billing, overprescription of narcotics, and unsettling end-of-life care decisions. The conversation explores the intersection of health care and greed, the power dynamics within the medical community, and the challenges of exposing complex institutional failures in a community divided between admiration for Dr. Weiner and distrust of the hospital system.

Read McSwane’s story on Dr. Weiner, “Eat What You Kill,” here: https://www.propublica.org/article/thomas-weiner-montana-st-peters-hospital-oncology

Transcript available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zxg23YdMoJEkzuv_bvC-ZimCJ-6Tbw0xUkFH0wP3oy0/edit?usp=sharing

In our December edition of Incentives & Instincts, Justin sits down with economist Bryce Ward to unpack the complex and pressing issue of trust in government. With trust levels in government at historic lows, they delve into the historical trends, causes, and consequences of this erosion in confidence. The conversation explores the influence of media, t…

Jennifer Isern, Morgan Slemberger and Karl Unterschuetz are the authors of recent reports on access to capital in Montana. In this episode, the three of them sit down with Justin to discuss the financial challenges faced by entrepreneurs, with a focus on barriers for women and Native business owners. The conversation highlights ongoing efforts to close these gaps, such as increasing awareness of funding resources, enhancing funder capacity, and exploring alternative financing solutions.

Learn more about the reports published by the team here: https://www.acceleratemt.com/accessingcapitalinmontana and here: https://www.umt.edu/real-women/research/reports/access-to-capital/montana/montana-native-access-to-finance-report-final1.pdf

Transcript available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KaK2lCAZfDJYtUagIHLg-z0LVsuMxyNhUd1rTcme-fs/edit?usp=sharing