Sam Smyth is an investigative reporter, columnist and broadcaster. He works for the Irish Mail on Sunday and formerly worked for Irish Independent, Sunday Independent, Sunday Tribune newspapers. He is the only Irish journalist to twice win journalist of the year honours: in 1991 for his investigation into business scandals, and in 1997 for his exposure of a political scandal that led to the resignation of government minister Michael Lowry. Smyth revealed that multimillionaire businessman Ben Dunne financed an extension to the home of the Transport, Energy and Communications minister' The minister resigned 36 hours after the story broke. He wrote a book Thanks a Million Big Fella based on this story.