EOTO3: Barlett and Steele

  Donald L Barlett and James B. Steele are not just one of journalism’s most iconic duos in recent history but a unique partnership that has spanned over 40 years. They’ve worked together at The Philadelphia Inquirer, Vanity Fair, and Time and are the only journalism duo in history to have won two Pulitzer Prizes.

The two men first met in 1970 at The Philadelphia Inquirer after each had successful careers at other papers throughout the years. They hit it off immediately, and their brand of investigative journalism quickly became a staple of the industry.

Donald L Barlett

Bob Woodward, fellow investigative journalist and associate editor at the Washington Post, described them as 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."

James B. Steele

Barlett and Steele’s first Pulitzer was for a series they published, “Auditing the Internal Revenue Service,” which exposed the unequal application of federal tax laws. Their second was for their coverage of the Tax Reform Act of 1986. They were watchdogs over the House of Representatives, calling out the addendums consistently slipped into the act. They kept the government accountable, telling the public exactly what they were doing and how they did it.

They are also known for popularizing technology in violent crime reporting. They used a computer to analyze over 1,000 cases of violent crime, finding patterns and other vital data in the biggest computer-assisted journalism venture of the time.

After 26 years at the Inquirer, Barlett and Steele left to become editors-at-large for Time Magazine. Their work earned them two National Magazine Awards. The awarded series were "What Corporate Welfare Costs You" and "Big Money and Politics: Who Gets Hurt." Full records of their most notable stories are available on their website.

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From 2006 to 2016, the pair acted as editors for Vanity Fair, continuing to follow the difficult stories that won them their reputations. They covered the disappearance of billions of dollars in cash the U.S. airlifted to Baghdad at the outset of the Iraqi war, the strong-arm tactics of Monsanto against America's farmers, and many other notable events.

Today, both men have retired from reporting. Steele lectures at universities nationwide, and Barlett lives at home with his family. They are journalism heroes in the truest sense, and their impact on the industry will be remembered.