Film Challenge #1

The investigation done by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to expose the Watergate scandal is a very exciting and inspiring story for journalists. However, the things they did to get information out of their sources may not be seen as completely ethical. People may argue that they crossed some boundaries in their pursuit of the truth. They knew they had a groundbreaking story on their hands and they did what they had to do to get the facts and report them to the public. Not only was Watergate a significant event in American history, but it helped change the way people would judge and communicate with journalists for years to come.

At the time of Watergate in America – the early 70s – confidentiality of sources was being disputed. There were several cases, such as Branzburg vs. Hayes and the In Re Pappas case, where journalists refused to release names and information about their sources, and later had to give them up because it was seen as compelling information. Woodward and Bernstein weren’t breaking any laws when they promised many of the people they interviewed that they would remain anonymous to protect them. Today, anonymous sources are seen as more of a last resort for reporters. Although there are shield laws today protecting journalists in certain states, there is no federal law. Woodward and Bernstein would not have been able to keep so many names, like Deep Throat, out of their stories if Watergate took place today.

From an average person’s point of view, Woodward and Bernstein seemed to be nosy and intrusive. They would constantly call and bug people for information. Woodward lied and said he needed information about Howard Hunt for a background profile. These strategies of obtaining facts and stories were unethical by the standards of SPJ Code of Ethics. They may have known that what they were doing wasn’t fundamentally “right”, but they knew if they could keep following the trail they were on, it would lead to a big story that had been covered up.

From a reporter’s opinion, it would seem as though the two journalists were just doing their jobs. In their profession, they had a duty to the public to find crucial and impactful information and release it so everyone could know, because they had a right to know what was going on in their government. Woodward and Bernstein found out that people who helped run their country were doing something illegal, and they believed that it was their responsibility to tell the public, or else there was a chance that nobody would have.

Although Woodward and Bernstein did not strictly follow proper journalism ethics while uncovering the Watergate scandal, I would have handled it the same way. Their work led to many journalists being more aggressive, whether they were ethical or not, to get the real stories out there. This event also paved the way for less anonymous sources, assuring that we will try to know exactly where our information is coming from and how credible it is. The story they were after was significant on a national scale and they knew that to get the truth out, they would have to bend the rules. Journalists today owe a lot to Woodward and Bernstein.

Sources

All the President’s Men

https://storify.com/nicole_kraft/media-law-and-ethics-in-film-comm-3404 (Lecture 4.1)

http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp (SPJ Code of Ethics)

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