How Washington Really Works
Three cheers to The Washington Post for committing a huge amount of space and resources to a major investigative project. "Citizen K Street" by Robert G. Kaiser, the Post's associate editor, tells the story of Gerry Cassidy, who made more than $125 million running Washington's largest lobbying firm, Cassidy & Associates. Cassidy and his firm invented the modern earmarked appropriation, allowing Congress to send billions of taxpayer dollars to private companies and groups when no federal agency had recommended spending the money. Kaiser weaves this tale of insider Washington in a 25-chapter serial narrative now appearing on washingtonpost.com. By using the Web for this monumental project, the Post can offer much more detail and documentation than it ever could in print. Will this approach be the salvation of investigative journalism? http://blog.washingtonpost.com/citizen-k-street/