Has Goldman Sachs Bought Off Making Sen$e?

*People are reflected in glass as they walk past Goldman Sachs headquarters. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.* *Paul Solman frequently answers questions from the NewsHour audience on business and economic news here on his [**Making Sen$e**](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/makingsense/) page. Here are Thursday's queries:* Two questions today, one answer. **Name: Bryan** **Question:** Very nice interview with Barofsky. Interesting that this "public" television interview was prefaced by PR from Goldman Sachs. Independent journalism? **Name: John Llewellyn** **Question:** The Foaming the Landing for Banks story was prefaced by an ad for Goldman Sachs. What a strange contradiction of the story! **Paul Solman:** Well, OK, maybe Llewellyn is simply noting an admittedly odd juxtaposition of the financial giant [**and our web outtake**](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/08/neil-barofsky-on-foaming-the-landing-for-banks.html) of the former TARP cop. But do you suppose, Bryan, that [**Goldman Sachs**](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/03/greg-smith-isnt-the-first-to-leave-goldman-sachs-over-morals.html) dictated [**the Barofsky interview**](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/july-dec12/makingsense_08-02.html)? And if so, don't you wonder why, since it was so critical of financial institutions like Goldman? So yes, "independent journalism" indeed. I don't mean to sound defensive, but it was rather a vivid example of independence, I'd say. Do others disagree? *As usual, look for a second post here on Making Sen$e early this afternoon. But please don't blame us if events or technology make that impossible. This entry is cross-posted on the [**Rundown**](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/)- NewsHour's blog of news and insight.*

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