All The President’s Men Blog Post

Roger Ebert claims “All the President’s Men” is one of the best, most impactful movies showcasing journalism. The term “Watergate” now encompasses political burglary, extortion, bribery, illegal use of government agencies such as the CIA and the FBI, and obstruction of justice, just to name a few. Some believe the term “Watergate” is synonymous with “abuse of power” (Watergate.info).

The scandal starts to unfold with the courtroom scene, as Woodward realizes this story may be more than just a burglary. He realizes these criminals’ lawyers are not your typical “granted by the state” lawyers, and something seems fishy. I don’t think Woodward oversteps any boundaries during the courtroom scene and keeps his professionalism when speaking with Mr. Martins.

Today, if an editor were to say, “You haven’t got it” and proceeded to hold a story as big as Watergate, I think they would be making a mistake. Though we must make sure the information we report on is honest and truthful, it must also be timely. News won’t be current or interesting to the reader if it’s late. Woodward and Bernstein were trustworthy reporters and it seems like they held their career in high regard and respected the truth very much.

When the issue of confidential source arises in “All The President’s Men”, I think it’s an acceptable circumstance to use a source that hasn’t been named. Deep Throat has proven to be reliable and shows Woodward and Bernstein that he knows what he’s talking about. Because of his background in government affairs, he has the education and knowledge on the subject needed to deflate Watergate. I think when Woodward and Bernstein first start using Deep Throat as a source, people and their editors are weary, however, as time passes and he proves himself trustworthy, there is no choice but to believe him. I don’t think confidential sources should always be trusted, but when they build trust with the audience and reporters (and keep it) then they deserve to be recognized as an honest source. Woodward and Bernstein kept Deep Throat hidden, just as he asked them to do, which also shows their integrity as journalists.

Woodward and Bernstein repeatedly say “it’s in my notes” when referring to a source. Though I believe them in the movie, I know not all journalists act with this kind of integrity. It could easily be swayed or perceived to mean something different even though it’s still “in his notes”. In this age, it’s very difficult to believe anyone unless it is recorded with their own voice or on camera. We cannot be positive what anyone said unless we hear it with our own ears, and not just read it with our own eyes.

I found the last scene, when Woodward is typing up his major article and Nixon is being sworn into his second term, very symbolic of the movie as a whole. This film documented the real lives of reporters and what the great lengths they must go to in order to achieve a goal. And though we know what happens after that article is released, he doesn’t, and I think it was really brave for Woodward and Bernstein to publish that piece. It redefined investigative journalism and proved the media wasn’t/isn’t completely destructive; they were simply reported on the truth…something that is many times forgotten. As the SPJ Code of Ethics states, “Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable. Give voice to the voiceless.” And that’s just what Woodward and Bernstein did.

Sources Used:

http://www.Watergate.info

http://www.SPJ.org/codeofethics

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/all-the-presidents-men-1976

http://rcfp.org/browse-media-law-resources/digital-journalists-legal-guide/limits-promising-confidentiality-0

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/fbis-no-2-was-deep-throat-mark-felt-ends-30-year-mystery-of-the-posts-watergate-source/2012/06/04/gJQAwseRIV_story.html

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