Pete Carey, United States, is a former investigative and business reporter for the The (San Jose) Mercury News.
His 1985 investigation into Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos’ massive hidden wealth in overseas accounts prompted outrage in the United States and in the Philippines. These findings contributed to international pressure on Marcos to call elections in early 1986, which ultimately lead to the dictator’s downfall. The reports gained Carey and his co-writers the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting.
Carey’s investigation of the collapse of a major freeway structure during the San Francisco Bay Area Loma Prieta earthquake was part of the Mercury News’ coverage that was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for general news reporting in 1990.
Carey was co-winner of an Overseas Press Club award for his 1992 reporting on corrupt practices and the negative environmental impacts of Japanese foreign aid programs in Southeast Asia. His investigations include kickbacks in a 1988 power plant deal in the Republic of Palau, military maneuver damage scams in Germany, labor abuses in the tech industry, and an Asian black market in stolen high technology goods. He covered Silicon Valley from its early years to the present and conducted investigations into mortgage fraud behind the recent housing bubble.