Bob Woodward
and Carl Bernstein
Two
journalists who uncovered the biggest scandal in American
politics
"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." - Shakespeare
On June 18, 1972, The Washington Post newspaper reported a burglary which had occurred at an office-hotel-apartment complex called the Watergate complex in Washington, DC. 5 men were arrested for attempting to take photos of documents and placing bugging devices in the offices.
What was peculiar was that the break-in occurred at the office of the Democratic National Committee.
The White House simply dismissed it as a "third-rate burglary", and media interest dropped quickly. But two of the reporters who had published that first news story in the Washington Post were suspicious.
James McCord,
Jr.
Woodward and Bernstein wanted answers to this mysterious break-in.
Woodward had discovered that one of the burglars, James McCord,
Jr., was actually a former CIA employee
and was recently hired as a security director for the
Committee for the Re-election of President Nixon
(CRP).
Searching for
the truth
The two reporters kept investigating - they traced accounts,
tracked phone numbers, found phone records, and sought information
from hundreds of sources which included administration
officials, campaign workers and White House staff.
These two reporters kept writing front page articles exposing the
link between the Watergate break-in and the Committee for the
Re-election of President Nixon, but they still couldn't find any
proof.
The proof
they needed
Woodward had finally found the golden ticket. On the condition that
Woodward would never identify him, a mysterious man given the name
"Deep Throat" gave Woodward the evidence he needed. This man
confirmed the suspected leads and helped connect the White House to
Watergate.
Woodward and
Bernstein could finally provide the evidence needed to explain that
the Watergate break-in was part of a large effort to sabotage
President Nixon's political opponents - paid for by his committee
(the CRP).
In 2005, it was finally revealed that Deep Throat was actually Mark
Felt - an Associate Director for the FBI.
He had seen all of the FBI's files on its
investigation of the break-in in 1972.
Nixon's
Resignation
Nixon had downplayed the scandal, soon his aides began resigning
and became clear that he was ordering a cover-up.
Afraid that he would be accountable for actions and subsequently
impeached and convicted, Nixon realized he couldn't no longer be
president. His role in the Watergate scandal led to his resignation
on August 9, 1974.
His televised address is shown here in a capture on the right.
Their Legacy
Woodward
and Bernstein's news articles had won their newspaper a
Pulitzer Prize. They also co-wrote two best-selling books,
The Final Days and All The President's Men - the
latter of which became an Academy-Award winning movie starring
Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford.
Their
investigative reporting and heroic efforts to find the truth
amongst power and corruption led to a surge of students enrolling
in journalism schools. These reporters had set the standard and
many followed their example of exceptional journalism.
You can learn more about the lives of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein here on Learnhub.
References/Image Credits
Tom's Games
History Commons
Wikipedia
Indutiomarus
American Rhetoric
Texas U
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