Downie was also a major contributor to Ten Blocks from the White House: Anatomy of the Washington Riots of 1968 and has written many newspaper and magazine articles.
He authored two major special reports for the Committee to Protect Journalists, The Trump Administration and the Press (2020) and The Obama Administration and the Press (2013) and co-authored “The Reconstruction of American Journalism” (2009), a major report on the state of the news media, published by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
During his tenure there he covered Ohio State football as well as the riots that surrounded the school's decision to turn down a bid to the 1962 Rose Bowl.
[4] In June 1993, he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Ohio State, in conjunction with his address during the university's commencement exercises.
Mortgage on America (Praeger, 1974) investigated the impact and costs of certain types of destructive urban real estate speculation.
The New Muckrakers (New Republic Books, 1976) detailed the rise and impact of a new generation of investigative reporters, including his colleagues Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
According to Bob Woodward's 2005 book The Secret Man, Downie was one of the few people to know the true identity of Watergate scandal informant Deep Throat before it was revealed to be Mark Felt.
Downie was named London correspondent in 1979 and worked in this capacity until mid-1982, covering the rise of Margaret Thatcher, the troubles in Northern Ireland, the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and the Falklands War.
During his 17 years as executive editor, Downie led the newsroom to 25 Pulitzer Prizes, including three gold medals for public service.
Downie's mantra—reflected in routine stories as well as such Pulitzer-winning efforts as the 2007 exposé of shoddy conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center—was "accountability journalism."