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Donald L. Barlett

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For the Anglican priest and author, see Donald Bartlett.
Donald L. Barlett
Born
Donald Leon Barlett

(1936-07-17)July 17, 1936
DuBois, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedOctober 5, 2024(2024-10-05) (aged 88)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma materPennsylvania State University
Occupations
  • Investigative journalist
  • Non-fiction writer
SpouseNancy Barlett
Websitehttp://barlettandsteele.com/

Donald Leon Barlett (July 17, 1936 – October 5, 2024) was an American investigative journalist and author writing for The Inquirer, Time Inc., and Vanity Fair Magazine. Barlett partnered with James B. Steele, with whom he won two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Magazine Awards, and six George Polk Awards.[1] They were known for their reporting technique of delving deep into documents and then, after what could be a long investigative period, interviewing the necessary sources.[2] The duo worked together for over 40 years and are frequently referred to as Barlett and Steele.

Early life and education

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Donald Leon Barlett was born on July 17, 1936 in DuBois, Pennsylvania, to James and Mary (née Wineberg) Barlett.[3][4] He grew up in Johnston, Pennsylvania, and attended Penn State University from 1954 to 1955.[3][5]

Career

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After Penn State, Barlett served as a special agent with the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps for three years until 1956, when he began his journalistic career as a reporter for the Reading (Pennsylvania) Times. Nine years later he became an investigative journalist for The Plain Dealer, and later took similar jobs with The Chicago Daily News and The Philadelphia Inquirer, where he met his collaborator James B. Steele.[4] In 1997, Barlett and Steele became editors-at-large for Time.[4] In 2006, they moved to Vanity Fair as contributing editors. Over the years, Barlett and Steele wrote about diverse topics including crime, economics, politics, and health care.[4]

Barlett and Steele won two Pulitzers and were recognized for their contributions to American journalism for their work at The Philadelphia Inquirer.[4] In 1973, during one of their earliest collaborations for The Inquirer, Barlett and Steele pioneered the use of computers for the analysis of data on violent crimes.[6] The project was a seven-part series, titled "Crime and Injustice", and was blocked for a Pulitzer, according to Steele, because a Pulitzer juror had rejected data-driven reporting, stating: "Any story that uses a computer is going to win a Pulitzer over my dead body."[6] Barlett and Steele won their first Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting and the Gerald Loeb Special Award[7][8] in 1975 for a series called "Auditing the Internal Revenue Service" published by The Inquirer.[9] They won their second Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting and the Gerald Loeb Award for Large Newspapers[7] in 1989 at the Inquirer for their coverage of temporary tax breaks embedded in the Tax Reform Act of 1986.[10] Their 1991 Inquirer series America: What Went Wrong? was named by the New York University department of journalism as 51st on its list of the 100 best pieces of journalism of the 20th century.[11] Rewritten as a book it became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller. It is one of seven books Barlett and Steele have published, five of which were written while at The Inquirer.[4]

After 26 years as a team for The Inquirer, Barlett and Steele left to pursue investigative reporting at Time.[12] It was while they were at Time that the investigative reporting team won their two National Magazine Awards, as well at their record breaking 6th George Polk Award, although this time for excellence in magazine journalism.[13]

After leaving Time over monetary issues, Barlett and Steele were hired by Vanity Fair to be contributing editors under the agreement that they would contribute two articles in their signature long-form style each year.[14][15] In 2007, Barlett and Steele, while still working for Vanity Fair, were featured in the PBS documentary series Exposé: America's Investigative Reports in an episode entitled "Friends In High Places," which was about government contracts. When asked on the program how they managed to work for so many years together, Barlett said, "We're both very boring. Who else reads the tax codes?"[16]

Death

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Barlett died at his home in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia on October 5, 2024. He was 88 years old.[5]

Impact

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Barlett and Steele are used as examples in investigative reporting textbooks as a model of technique and excellence in journalism. As career investigative journalists, Barlett and Steele have become well known for their teamwork,[17] "documents state of mind,"[18] consistent accuracy,[19] "replicability" for revealing their sources,[20] and ability to make their work relevant to ordinary people, such as in "America: What Went Wrong?". Their employers, especially Gene Roberts at The Inquirer,[21] provided them with the opportunity to spend a long period of time reviewing documents in pursuit of journalism with depth and gave them the space to publish their work in lengthy articles in newspapers and magazines.

About Barlett and Steele, fellow investigative reporter Bob Woodward said, "They're an institution. They have kind of perfected a method of doing their work, and I have the highest regard for it. Systematic, comprehensive − they take a long time, and they don't mind saying what their conclusions are."[19]

Both Pulitzer Prize Awards illustrate the auditing function of investigative journalism, whereby the press as "The Fourth Estate" watches over government. In 1975, they audited the Internal Revenue Service. In 1989, they acted as watchdogs over the House Ways and Means Committee Chair Dan Rostenkowski and the insertion by Democrats and Republicans of temporary tax breaks in the Tax Reform Act of 1986.[4]

Barlett and Steele are recognized for their significant contributions to investigative business journalism over a career spanning four decades. Their work has garnered multiple awards, including two Pulitzer Prizes and two National Magazine Awards. In acknowledgment of their influence, the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism established the Barlett and Steele Awards in 2007, which honor excellence in print and online investigative business journalism.[22]

Published works

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Books

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References

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  1. ^ Miles, Gary (October 9, 2024). "Donald L. Barlett, former Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The Inquirer and best-selling author, has died at 88". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  2. ^ Alter, Jonathan (April 24, 1989). "Two Reporters You Don't Want on Your Tail". Newsweek.
  3. ^ a b Sanger, Lauren (Fall 2001). "Donald L. Barlett". Pennsylvania Center for the Book. Pennsylvania State University.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Rifkin, Glenn; Mokam, Bernard (October 12, 2024). "Donald L. Barlett, 88, Pulitzer-Winning Reporter Who Exposed Corruption". The New York Times. p. B11.
  5. ^ a b Miles, Gary (October 9, 2024). "Donald L. Barlett, former Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The Inquirer and best-selling author, has died at 88". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  6. ^ a b Smith, Harrison (October 18, 2024). "Pulitzer-winning investigative reporter for the Philly Inquirer". The Washington Post.
  7. ^ a b "Historical Winners List". UCLA Anderson School of Management.
  8. ^ United Press International (September 25, 1975). "Royster wins Loeb Award for financial journalism". The New York Times. p. 64. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  9. ^ "1975 Winners". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  10. ^ "1989 Winners". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  11. ^ Barringer, Felicity (March 1, 1999). "Journalism's Greatest Hits: Two Lists of a Century's Top Stories". The New York Times.
  12. ^ O'Reilly, David (February 2, 1997). "Barlett, Steele Leave Inquirer After 26 Years". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  13. ^ Colford, Paul (March 16, 2001). "Time Pair Snare Record Sixth Polk". Daily News (New York).
  14. ^ Seelye, Katharine (May 18, 2006). "Richard Stengel Is Chosen To Be Top Editor at Time". The New York Times.
  15. ^ Seelye, Katharine (August 7, 2006). "An Established Reporting Team Moves to Vanity Fair". The New York Times.
  16. ^ Lear, Len; Shaw, Donna (October 17, 2024). "Pulitzer-winning investigative journalist Don Barlett dies". Chestnut Hill Local.
  17. ^ Meyer, Philip (April 28, 2011). "In Pulitzers, journalism's evolution is taking shape". USA Today.
  18. ^ Houston, Brant (2009). The Investigative Reporter's Handbook. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-312-58997-4.
  19. ^ a b Cox, James (April 14, 1992). "Stoking Fires of Debate". USA Today.
  20. ^ Marvin, Carolyn; Philip Meyer (2005). "What Kind of Journalism Does the Public Need?". In Geneva Overholser & Kathleen Hall Jamieson (ed.). The Press. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 400–411 [403]. ISBN 978-0-19-517283-6.
  21. ^ Cauchon, Dennis (August 1, 1990). "Roberts to leave 'Inquirer'". USA Today.
  22. ^ E&P Staff (October 7, 2009). "'Miami Herald' Takes the Gold at Barlett & Steele Awards for Business Journalism". Editor & Publisher.
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