Robert O'Harrow Jr. is an investigative reporter on the Business desk at The Washington Post.

 In recent years, O'Harrow has focused his reporting on federal contracting, fraud, waste and abuse. In 2008, he was a finalist for a Gerald R. Loeb award for a series of exclusive stories about failing procurement practices, cost overruns and the chronic abuse of congressional earmarks. In 2006, O'Harrow and Post reporter Scott Higham won the top award from Investigative Reporters and Editors for their examination of spending by the Department of Homeland Security.

 O'Harrow, 48, had previously carved out an investigative beat about the data revolution. His reporting about the use of personal information spurred changes in state and federal law. In 2000, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for a series about evolving tension between privacy and technology. That work grew into a book, No Place to Hide, about data profiling, surveillance and national security in the post-9/11 world. He was co-producer of a public radio documentary by the same name.