Confessions of an investigative reporter - Cover Story

Washington Monthly, March, 1992 by Christopher Georges

Scud bluster

It was about three weeks after the end of the Gulf war--and about 18 months after I botched the BCCI story--that I won my first, and only, award as an investigative journalist for a segment I helped produce on Raytheon's Patriot missile. Unfortunately, the award came from Raytheon itself, thanking me for what was, kindly put, a first-rate piece of journalistic puffery. From the idea behind the assignment--a reaction to a fleeting development--to the way I reported it--by relying on congressional sources and a mix of Washington-based policy types--I came up with exactly what I should have expected: yet another piece marveling at the space-age technology. Predictably, it has since come to light that the Patriot is beset with a multitude of technical problems.

My reward, a bronze "Scudbuster" lapel pin and accompanying certificate, now hang above my desk, where they serve as a reminder of what we can accomplish when we really aren't trying.