That’s why the image of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer standing at the podium Monday to acknowledge his misconduct was so disappointingly familiar. Law enforcement had busted a prostitution ring, and The New York Times had revealed that Spitzer was “Client 9.”

Virtually every day in this country, in communities large and small, news organizations reveal misconduct or betrayal of the public trust by public officials. They base their reporting on their own investigations or, at times, those of law enforcement agencies.