Spencer S. Hsu
Staff Writer

Spencer Hsu is an investigative reporter for The Washington Post. From 2005 to 2010, he was the Post’s homeland security correspondent, covering the Department of Homeland Security when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf coast in August 2005. Hsu has reported on Washington’s immigration debate, focusing on border security and immigration enforcement. He also covered the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks in Washington, including the 2001 anthrax mailings and Senate ricin attack, the capital’s air defenses, and systems to detect weapons of mass destruction.

Before his domestic security assignment, Hsu covered Washington-area members of Congress and the emergence of the District of Columbia from a federal control board after the city’s mid-1990s financial meltdown. He joined The Washington Post in 1993, covering politics and reporting from Virginia and its Richmond statehouse bureau.

Hsu has worked for the Salt Lake Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Miami Herald. He is married to Lori Aratani and lives in Washington.

Latest by Spencer S. Hsu

Santae Tribble’s 1980 murder conviction overturned by D.C. judge

Santae Tribble’s 1980 murder conviction overturned by D.C. judge

Santae Tribble, whose case was featured in a series of Post stories about wrongful convictions, has had his conviction overturned by a judge.

Prosecutors agree: D.C. man’s murder conviction should be overturned

Prosecutors agree: D.C. man’s murder conviction should be overturned

The case spurred new calls for reviews of pre-1996 convictions in which hair evidence was crucial.

Forensics not as reliable as you think

Forensics not as reliable as you think

A panel finds that hair, writing and fingerprint comparisons are subject to human bias and lack standards.

Review of forensics held close to vest

Review of forensics held close to vest

The Justice Department and the FBI kept the reins tight on a task force’s investigation of flawed lab work, as well as its findings.