He was an investigative reporter and senior editor for the Village Voice for over 20 years. Barrett is currently contributor to Newsweek. He holds degrees from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where he served on the adjunct faculty for over thirty years. He is the author of many articles and books about politicians, especially Rudy Giuliani. He is a major interviewee in Kevin Keating's 2006 documentary Giuliani Time. Barrett is battling both interstitial lung disease and cancer.