# Patrick Radden Keefe, journalist: ‘We live in very mercenary times. Have money? Welcome’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/patrick-radden-keefe-journalist-we-live-in-very-mercenary-times-have-money-welcome/
- Published: 2026-11-15T04:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-15T04:20:43+00:00
- Original publisher: El País (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://english.elpais.com/culture/2026-11-15/patrick-radden-keefe-journalist-we-live-in-very-mercenary-times-have-money-welcome.html
- Topics: Americas, World

## Key points

- Keefe fears growing pressure on the US free press.
- *London Falling* examines wealth, corruption and a mysterious death.
- He links unaffordable housing with young people seeking shortcuts to wealth.

## Summary

Investigative journalist Patrick Radden Keefe says he is worried about the future of a free press in the United States, describing fears that authorities could search his devices and noting that The New Yorker is preparing for a possible Justice Department search warrant. His concerns sit alongside his criticism of London’s welcome to wealthy foreign investors, arguing that money can excuse criminality and deepen social problems.

In his new book, *London Falling*, Keefe traces a young impostor’s story through a city shaped by offshore wealth, opaque companies and corruption. He points to schools, cultural institutions and estate agents courting Russian oligarchs, as well as luxury flats left empty. He argues that housing unaffordability has left many young people feeling that steady work and saving will not buy a home, encouraging some to seek quick wealth through cryptocurrency or gambling.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.