Mr Henry Blodget, whose overly bullish research put him at the centre of an investment banking scandal when the Internet stock bubble burst, has been hired to report on Martha Stewart's trial.
Mr Blodget, Merrill Lynch's star stock analyst during the late 1990s Internet boom, is now working for online magazine Slate.com to cover the insider trading charges facing the lifestyle trendsetter, Slateeditor Mr Jacob Weisberg said.
Mr Weisberg said that Mr Blodget's background gave him a unique perspective on the Stewart scandal.
Ms Stewart's former stockbroker, who also worked at Merrill Lynch, Mr Peter Bacanovic, has also been charged in the case.
Mr Blodget's star fell hard two years after the bubble burst when New York Attorney General Mr Eliot Spitzer accused Merrill of misleading investors through its stock research. He disclosed e-mails in which Merrill analysts, including Mr Blodget, privately disparaged stocks they had touted in public.
Ms Stewart is charged with five counts stemming from the sale of stock in ImClone Systems Inc, a biotech company founded by her friend Mr Sam Waksal.