Welcome to The Sausage

You might be wondering why a business Web site would launch a blog called The Sausage. The title is an allusion to the undocumented, possibly apocryphal but still excellent quotation frequently attributed to Bismarck. Different versions abound (that's the thing about undocumented quotations), but it goes something like: "No man should see how laws or sausages are made."

For many years, self-mocking journalists have adopted this to their own craft, believing that the creation of journalism is a messy task best kept out of sight from the final consumer. But it doesn't have to be that way, especially online. We believe that in most instances, more transparent journalism serves readers better and, ideally, can tap into their own insights. So The Big Money is launching The Sausage as a way of bringing our readers into the conversations, debates, and thinking that inform what we ultimately publish (or don't publish). I hope we'll use it to tap our readers' thoughts about important topics and their treatment; to point toward the evolution of stories, ideas, and arguments elsewhere on the Web; and simply to tell you what we're reading and thinking about. We invite you to join in—and pass the mustard.

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The Sausage is The Big Money's blog on what really goes into this business site. We'll share what we're reading and thinking about and tap your thoughts on important topics and their treatment. Got fodder for The Sausage? Share your story ideas, comments, and condiments with us at thesausage.tbm@gmail.com.