Jim DiEugenio looks closely at the record of one of the earliest critics, Edward Epstein, and questions whether he was ever a critic at all. Epstein's later work showed him to be little more than a wonk for the establishment. So how good was his first book, Inquest? DiEugenio answers that and other questions about Epstein, and talks about Epstein's work with the CIA and notably, James Angleton.

Jim DiEugenio writes about reporter Gus Russo and how he became a corporate mouthpiece when reporting about the JFK assassination.

Because of his writings on the Kennedy assassination in the Post, New York Times, and his book Scandals, Scamps, and Scoundrels, many have harbored suspicions about Phelan's independence as a writer. What makes him even more suspicious is the company he has kept throughout the years, writes Jim DiEugenio.