Government Inc.: “The Good, the Bad and the Sometimes Very Unsettling”
On July 9, 2007, The Washington Post launched Government Inc., a blog written by investigative reporter Robert O’Harrow, Jr. which promises to “shine the bright light of reporting on the good, the bad, and the sometimes very unsettling” in the often byzantine world of federal contracting. O’Harrow and his reporting partner Scott Higham went deep inside that world for their award-winning investigative reporting,“The High Price of Homeland Security,” which was the basis for EXPOSÉ’s “Nice Work If You Can Get It.” And more recently, Higham and O’Harrow have exposed some “very unsettling” accusations about GSA head Lurita Doan. Watch the end of “Nice Work” to find out what they found out.
While Scott Higham has set his sights elsewhere in recent months, O’Harrow’s decision to blog about the government’s business raises his interest in procurement to a new level. Admitting in his inaugural post that “federal contracting may seem about as enticing as a plate of raw broccoli,” O’Harrow has nevertheless found an impassioned, dedicated core audience for his daily postings on government contractors. Companies like Sun Microsystems , SAIC, and Wackenhut Corp. have been discussed in the blog as well as and how our government is (or isn’t) keeping tabs on them.
Less a forum for breaking news than riffing on it, O’Harrow tells the Blog it's too soon to talk about the tips and kinds of materials he is receiving but that “there's no question the blog is useful for generating ideas and help.” In the meantime, O’Harrow has used his blog to let his readers know what you’re not hearing in the Washington Post’s reporting. Last week, he reminded blog readers that the President had failed to act in response to the Special Counsel’s recommendation that GSA Head Lurita Doan be disciplined “to the fullest extent” for violations of the Hatch Act. (See 8/7/2007 posting: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/government-inc/). O’Harrow concludes, “I'm standing by,” ready to report.
>>Read more from Robert O'Harrow, Jr.about Government Inc. here.
