Donald Barlett

Donald Barlett has had a legendary career as a journalist and author. He is best known for his investigations that focus on issues related to corporations and government policies. Barlett has spent more than fifty years writing groundbreaking articles and books on a wide range of topics. He has paved the way for investigative journalism and his reports are often cited in courts and legislatures.

Barlett was born in Pennsylvania in 1933. He studied at Temple University and received his bachelor of arts degree in 1956. He started his career as a cub reporter at The Philadelphia Bulletin in 1959. This was the start of prodigious career as an investigative journalist. He quickly rose through the ranks at the Bulletin and eventually became city editor.

In 1971, Barlett left the Bulletin to take a job at the Philadelphia Inquirer. During his time at the Inquirer he took on several major investigations. These included stories about the military-industrial complex, deceptive drug pricing practices by pharmaceutical companies, and profiteering by the nuclear industry. Throughout his career Barlett has had an interest in exposing corporate America’s abuses and telling stories that focus on social justice.

In 1972, Barlett and his partner James Steele won the Polk Award for their story on the Pentagon’s profligate spending on airplane parts. This victory was an important moment in Barlett’s career and sealed his place in journalism history. In 1976, the two started a column called “America: What Went Wrong” which examined the decline of the middle-class in America.

In the mid-1980s, Barlett and Steele wrote for Time magazine. Their work for Time focused heavily on the decline of the middle class and corporate tax avoidance. They also reported on the corrupt practices of many corporations in the Savings and Loan scandal of the same decade. In 1997, Barlett and Steele received the Pulitzer Prize for their investigative articles on corporate practices that existed to cheat their customers and hide their activities from government oversight.

Barlett and Steele have written several best-selling books that have shaped public opinion about corporate and governmental practices. These titles include, America: What Went Wrong (1992), Critical Condition (1997), The Betrayal of the American Dream (2013), and Equity: Why Employee Ownership Is Good for Business (2019). In addition to his journalism and books, Barlett has also been a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania since 2018.

Barlett’s work has been instrumental in establishing investigative journalism as an important part of the news media. He has been a critical voice in exposing corporate and government wrongdoing and stimulating social change through his writing. His rigorous and unyielding reporting has been an inspiration to readers and other journalists and it will continue to be remembered and referenced for many years to come.