Behind The Scenes of Watergate

Watergate.

This is a term that almost every American is familiar with. This was the scandal that involved the administration of President Nixon from 1972-19734, which eventually led to Nixon’s resignation. 

Due to two brave journalists, we now know what elements had to add up to blow the top off of this scandal. 

Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward wrote “All the President’s Men”, which expresses their experience of the entire scandal from a journalism point of view. This book has also been turned into a popular movie.

Bernstein and Woodward spoke at the College Media Association (CMA) Media Fest on Oct. 28th, 2022 in Washington D.C to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Watergate. This speech was opened with a quote by Richard Nixon:

“Always dig deeper”

This quote referenced how important journalism is, which is ironic considering the fact that journalism led to the downfall of Nixon’s Presidency.

Listening to them talk about their experience with Watergate was compelling and hilarious. The two men have a wonderful sense of humor and are captivating story tellers. 

They gave advice to hundreds of young journalists on how to dig deep and uncover stories. 

Woodward and Bernstein explained to the audience that persistence is key to get sources to speak. All of the advice they had to offer was accompanied by short stories from their experience with Watergate. They also shared a piece of advice that was given to them at the start of their careers:

“Beware the demon pomposity”- Katherine Graham