Most investigative reporters strive to meet the standards set by Barlett and Steele.

EXPOSÉ’s “Friends in High Places” premieres on PBS tonight.

An LA Times editorial sounds off on CIR’s earmark reporting and urges reforms.

Meet the top ten federal contractors hired to do heavy lifting for the Department of Defense — and find out what they’ve been up to lately.

In the next EXPOSÉ, the reporting duo Donald Barlett and James Steele reveal the inner workings one of the most powerful government contractors you’ve never heard of.

Thank you to the Sunlight Foundation’s “Real Time Investigations” project, where Bill Allison and Anupama Narayanswamy are undertaking a massive FOIA inquiry to create a searchable database that would be helpful to other reporters (like me).

While Democrats patted themselves on the back for their “earmark-free” spending bill earlier this year, some Republicans accused them of sneaking hidden earmarks into the bill. It turns out that some of the GOP critics were lobbying for earmarks behind the scenes.

In “Becoming the Story,” EXPOSÉ returns to San Francisco and the steroid scandal that rocked the sports world.

The PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW wrote up a guide for other journalists planning projects similar to Carl Prine’s investigation into the security of chemical plants and railroads. A condensed list of their advice:

Part two premieres tonight on PBS. On Monday: What every responsible journalist should know before casing a joint.