Washington Post Reporter example essay topic

All The President's Men All The President's Men Essay, Research Paper All The President's Men, by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward is a written account of twenty-one months of investigative reporting by two Washington Post journalists. The story detailing the reporters activities from the initial incident of the Watergate break-in to the subsequent collapse of the Nixon administration is replete with fundamental lessons for quality journalism and accurate reporting. Diligent research and flexibility, a relentless pursuit of the truth in the face of challenges and criticism, and ethical treatment of their sources are key tenets of journalism displayed by the reporters and editors throughout the ordeal that shaped the most historical political scandal of the 20th century. The behemoth scandal referred to as Watergate did not begin at the White House. History reflects it had a much more innocuous inception an editor called a reporter to cover what appeared to be a routine burglary. The reporter, Bob Woodward, was initially annoyed at the story's banal appeal.

But, some facts surrounding the situation struck him as odd the location of the burglary, specifically the National Headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, as opposed to the smaller, local party office, and the high profile legal representation of what he originally perceived to be hooligans or vandals. Woodward became even more curious about the incident as the band of thieves was identified in court five suspects, one of which was a former employee of the CIA. Woodward didn t think that he was scratching the surface of a scandal, but his investigative instincts told him that he had stumbled onto something that was worthy of further analysis. After communicating his initial findings to his editor, Barry Sussman, who shared his enthusiasm for investigative reporting, Woodward wrote a hard-news lead about the break-in.

Carl Bernstein, another Washington Post reporter who had been simultaneously working the story from another angle when Woodward received the assignment, wrote a story that provided profiles and backgrounds on the suspects. Bernstein, the senior staffer and more developed writer of the two, employed his well-developed contacts to build foundation and give substance to the players. As subsequent stories and sidebars around the burglary and the suspects developed, the two reporters reluctantly collaborated Woodward did not let his pride stand in the way of Bernstein's skillful ability to report the story with contextual significance. Over the course of the next several months, as it came to light that the Watergate break-in was merely the tip of the iceberg of scurrilous and politically unscrupulous activities, the reporters relentlessly pursued any and all credible leads. Neither the reporters nor the editors for that matter, set out to antagonize or destroy the White House administration, but their collective cohesive ability to synthesize information and translate it into something meaningful created a synergy that gave the Washington Post premiere editorial coverage. This status also positioned the Post to be first in the line of fire for White House retaliations.

Attacks on the veracity and credibility of the reporters sources, and attempts to discrediting anyone associated with the news coverage personally, were tactics employed by the Administration that was under fire of public opinion. The position and support of the Washington Post executive editor, Ben Bradley, and its publisher, Katherine Graham, on story content and source autonomy were invaluable to the credence and tenacity of the reports as they continued to unravel the Watergate scandal. In order to progress the story and pursue leads, Woodward and Bernstein employed a variety of sources at various levels throughout their investigation. Primary sources are requisite tools for reporters since first-hand accounts or observations tend to be more credible than hearsay or innuendo. Stories that cannot be attributed to a source are generally regarded as fluff pieces, lacking the weight of substantiation as mere opinion or conjecture. In the case of the sources involved in the Watergate investigation, due to the politically sensitive nature, most encountered by Woodward and Bernstein were afraid to go on the record with their knowledge.

Detailed information about any of the Watergate activities such as the wiretapping's, the plumbers, violations of campaign financing laws, the secret slush fund, and sabotage might never have surfaced had the reporters not established rapport with their sources of trust and anonymity. Woodward and Bernstein did not even succumb to the pressure of legal subpoenas that were used in attempts to uncover their sources with the support of their editors and publisher, they protected their sources until they were willing to go on the record themselves with their testimonies. Watergate impacted many lives at many levels in many different fields. When the dust settled, about 40 people were charged with crimes in the scandal and with related crimes. Most of these people were either convicted by juries or pleaded guilty, and the 37th President of the United States, Richard M. Nixon, facing a likely impeachment resigned. The Washington Post journalists were not the only ones to cover this story but the reporting skills of Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward made an infallible impression on journalism for generations to come.