Q&A: Lawrence Roberts, Huffington Post Investigative Fund
LAWRENCE ROBERTS
Executive editor, Huffington Post Investigative Fund and former investigations editor at The Washington Post.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
PLAY: Roberts speaks with Alec Klein about investigative business journalism.
Age: 58
Home: Garrett Park, Maryland
What I do: Executive Editor, Huffington Post Investigative Fund
Hours worked per week: Sorry, time clock is broken.
Why I do what I do: We must find new models that will preserve investigative journalism on the Web.
Favorite story I reported: Spain’s return to democracy in the 1980s.
Biggest accomplishment: Being part of the group that led The Hartford Courant to its first Pulitzer Prize.
Biggest mistake: Too embarrassing to make public.
Best advice for investigative business journalists: Read your history. Patterns tend to repeat themselves.
Best online resource ever: The resource center of Investigative Reporters and Editors
What reporter’s work do you follow religiously and why: Steve Coll, for his fearless intellect.
Who was your professional mentor: I have two: Pamela Luecke, now a journalism professor at Washington & Lee University; and Jeff Leen, AME/Investigations at The Washington Post.
Last book read: ‘Annie’s Ghosts,’ by Steve Luxenberg.
What I do for fun: Play guitar in a garage band.
Quote: Don’t run from complexity. Embrace it.
