"All the president's men"

Among the various movies directed by Alan J. Pakula, the 1976 released American Politics and Drama film awarded him as Best Director in the Academy. The film depicted the journey and works of two low-caliber journalists of the Washington Post, which further lead to the press release of the Watergate Scandal in June 17, 1972. The story uncovered by the two journalists, namely Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, exposed the lengths of illegal acts committed by seven men to serve in the re-election campaign of Former President Richard Nixon.

The movie was a handful of significant events that highlighted on politics and governance. Being small time journalists, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward were perfect examples of how great acts root from small beginnings. In the year 1971, Bob Woodward was a newly hired journalist under the Washington Post, therefore he had not yet established his platform amongst his co-workers. On the other hand, Carl Bernstein, had more experience at the Washington Post for he started as a copy boy at the age of 16. Despite Bernstein’s longer work experience, he didn’t come up to par with the executives of the company. Bernstein and Woodward were assigned to work on the Watergate Scandal.

At the beginning of their Watergate assignment, they went through a series of struggles. A lot of their workers held biases against them because they were young and inexperienced. The head editors undermined their abilities as journalists but their hunger to uncover the truth behind this conspiracy and curiosity to ask more questions, these two underestimated journalists unconcealed the facts of Watergate Scandal.

It’s unbelievable how the burglars, namely James McCord and Bernard Barker, former CIA employees, together Frank Sturgis, Eugenio R. Martinez, and Virgilio R. Gonzales conspired a burglary so intricate and felonious. It was a big challenge for Bernstein and Woodward to haggle over and piece together ambiguous bits of information. Every phone call or interview with the people affiliated above had them go lengths to know the truth behind the story. The battle of two young journalists fighting for the truth and several government-affiliated men abusing their power, it is no surprise the former reigned because the truth will always arise and justice will always prevail.

In the beginning, it wasn’t always easy for Bernstein and Woodward to land on the same page. Bernstein was clever and riskier with his moves to gather information, while Woodward, who always had a pen and paper at hand, was more direct and upfront. They had different ways of telling a story and working as a team, but these differences complemented each other. They met eye to eye and together, transpired the Watergate Scandal on press.

When the Washington Post released the headline of the Watergate Scandal in June 17, 1972, President Richard Nixon concealed his affiliation with the suspects of the Watergate Scandal. Come August 9, 1974, President Nixon resigned as President of the United States of America. He was voted to be impeached by the senate for involved obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of congress. He then resigned as President, making him the first and only American President to ever resign from office. Even if he held the highest position of power in the government, he failed to recognize that being president does not put him above the law. His presidency was unfair to the nation, for everyone must abide by the law, no matter the economic, cultural or political background.

Prior to watching the movie and reading about Bernstein and Woodward, my view on journalism was very limited. After seeing what ensued in the Watergate Scandal, I can greatly say that journalism is brave work. It goes beyond what’s written on an article. The way Bernstein went out of his way to get the money statements of Mccord or how Woodward sourced his information from Deepthroat the whistleblower, journalism really is risky and it’s all for the sake of getting an important message from medium to community.

Another takeaway is that journalists really stick to their gut. Bernstein was the type to do so even if the people around him at the Washington Post didn’t believe in him. It’s a brave and bold move to stick to one’s gut, amidst all doubt, it’s up to you as that journalist to make the gamble to reveal the truth. Even if there are people who hold their biases, just like the way the executive editors of the Washington Post did for Woodward and Bernstein, for as long as you don’t let these biases win you over, you will share your story. It’s difficult to really prove yourself in the journalism industry because there are so many stories that arise everyday. On a more important note, whether the story is about a restaurant review or a national scandal are facts, facts, and facts.

The media theory, Agenda Setting Function in Media by Maxwell McCombs & Donald Shaw, greatly explains the relationship of media and the public. Media does not only tell us what to think but what to think about. In investigative reporting, many of the people Woodward and Bernstein interviewed mentioned to not quote them, or source them, or choose to leave themselves anonymous because these people don’t want to be held accountable of the national scandal. When Bernstein and Woodward had written their first copies about the Watergate Scandal, the editors of the Washington Post had to select which stories will be under national, international and metro. In other words, this was an act of gatekeeping. Journalists must be selective in reporting their news. Practitioners then select and evaluate the news and that is what regulates the flow of information to the public to make sure it’s significant, authentic and not a hoax. We, the public, benefit from that because when we read, we have public thought which affects the community, the media, and even policy makers. In the same way, the media benefits from public thought because we read and act upon the information, stories, and articles released to us.

SOURCES

“Character Analysis.” Character Analysis,

13allthepresidentsmen.blogspot.com/p/character-analysis.html.

Democrats.org. (2019). 2016 Democratic Party Platform. [online] Available at:

https://democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2016_DNC_Platform.pdf [Accessed 18 Jun. 2019].

Editors, History.com. “Watergate Scandal.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct.

2009, www.history.com/topics/1970s/watergate.

Perlstein, Rick. “Watergate Scandal.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica,

Inc., 10 June 2019, www.britannica.com/event/Watergate-Scandal.