Scope and Methods
POGO’s range of investigations includes national defense and homeland security, nuclear security issues, abuse in government contracting, excessive secrecy that fails to consider the public interest, and the revolving door phenomenon in Congress and across government agencies. POGO uses investigative journalism techniques to shed light on the government's activities, including working with whistleblowers and anonymous sources and accessing information through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). POGO’s Federal Contractor Misconduct Database is often used by investigative journalists and others who are interested in contractor misconduct.
Corporate whistleblowers and government insiders bring POGO many of its investigative topics. POGO informs the public of its findings, mainly through reports that contain extensive documentation and recommendations for how to solve the problems identified. Once a report has been released, more insiders usually approach POGO to provide further documentation and information.
In 2006, POGO launched its Congressional Oversight Training Series (COTS), which consists of monthly seminars on Capitol Hill for Congressional staffers and employees of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) and Government Accountability Office (GAO). The seminars focus on how to conduct oversight of government contractors and various federal agencies.
Read more about this topic: Project On Government Oversight
Famous quotes containing the words scope and/or methods:
“For it is not the bare words but the scope of the writer that gives the true light, by which any writing is to be interpreted; and they that insist upon single texts, without considering the main design, can derive no thing from them clearly.”
—Thomas Hobbes (1579–1688)
“We are lonesome animals. We spend all our life trying to be less lonesome. One of our ancient methods is to tell a story begging the listener to say—and to feel—”Yes, that’s the way it is, or at least that’s the way I feel it. You’re not as alone as you thought.””
—John Steinbeck (1902–1968)