Bob Woodward: Changing Journalism When Unmasking Watergate

David Mena

Saugus High School

AP US History and AP English Language and Composition

Team Term Paper

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Bob Woodward: Changing Journalism When Unmasking Watergate

Thesis: Woodward proved through hard and honest work it was possible to bring down even a president, which demonstrated in All the President’s Men, using rhetorical strategies, a quasi-fictional style, and disguised personas. The book allowed the masses to learn of the surprising betrayal, familiarized his name and technique, also changing journalism.

I. Introduction

II. Life, Influences, and All the President’s Men

A. Ideology: work ethic, eager, disciplined, inquisitive

B. Early Life Experiences: investigative, questioning elders, snooping

C. Yale: more questioning, educated, changed political views, connections

D. Early Jobs: clandestine Navy job, ship newspaper; Sentinel, Post

III. All the Presidents Men

A. Argument: persistence and effort lead to great success; fight for moral right

B. Rhetoric: dialogue, description, allusion

C. Style: quasi-fictional, colloquial

D. Informants: Deep Throat, The Bookkeeper, demonstrates seriousness, credibility?

IV. Legacies/Criticism:

A. Fame: changed journalism, books

B. Questioned Ethics: Adrian Havil

C. Deep Throat: Gen. Alexander Haig or multiple spruces

D. Political Skepticism: new journalism, inspiration

V. Conclusion

VI. Works Cited

VII. Annotated Bibliography

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Bob Woodward: Changing Journalism When Unmasking Watergate

On June 17, 1972, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are called in to investigate men convicted for "conspiracy, burglary and wiretapping" at the Watergate Complex (Simkin par 7). Woodward, throughout his life, had accumulated a network of contacts, from Yale to the Pentagon, which would help him greatly in the investigation (Havil 62). Together as partners they uncovered the greatest presidential scandal in US history (Shepard x). Woodward proved through hard and honest work it was possible to bring down even a president, which demonstrated in All the President’s Men, using rhetorical strategies, a quasi-fictional style, and disguised personas. The book allowed the masses to learn of the surprising betrayal, familiarized his name and technique, also changing journalism.

Bob Woodward, 1975: "I was raised in a small town in the Midwest, and one of the things I learned very early was that everybody in the town had a secret" (Shepard 3).

Throughout Woodward's childhood there is evidence of an investigative reporter in the making, with an overall change in view ethically. Robert U. Woodward was born in Geneva, Illinois, and raised in nearby Wheaton (Academy of Achievement par 1).Woodward would be subject to Republican ideals in an area of distilled virtues of religion, hard work, and family (Havil 5-6). The local college had set the morality bar high for the towns-people (Shepard 2). "Woodward in many ways would come to typify the straight-arrow Calvinistic culture of Wheaton. It would be his strength in difficult times. The self-righteous ideals of the town would serve him well" (Havil 7). Woodward would show in his work how effort, sufficiency, and persistence may lead to success.

Woodward was an inquisitive child (Havil 8). He had believed in American supremacy, when he had heard about the Russian satellite Sputnik, he had gone around to adults and authoritative figures questioning its importance of its comparison to America (8). When he had found his older informants evasive or vague, he would "hit them with a harder question" (8). This childhood experience alone shows he had an essence of an investigative persona. Woodward’s curiosity was never extinguished. He had been snooping through his father's papers and mail out of curiosity, and he had come along some documents which stated his parents were getting divorced (Shepard 2). Although this was a tragic moment in his life, his curiosity lived on through his father's new marriage. This would cause Woodward to change becoming more mature, independent, and reserved yet he would still fight for what he believed was morally right.

One of Bob's recollections of his childhood is when his father, Al, had spent much more on his four new children than his own original children on Christmas presents; Bob had listed the presents of both sides and demanded it to be even (Shepard 4). Alan Pakula analyzed "that kind of list, making investigations, thoroughness, obsession with unfairness has a lot to do with how he functions as an investigative reporter," which later Woodward would admit to Pakula he "kind of liked making investigations and was obsessive about fairness." (4-5). "When I was in high school I worked part time as a janitor in my father’s law office, and I was able to rummage through everything in the office. That may have sparked an interest in finding out the secrets that people keep" (Clark par 1). Although Woodward had the necessities of a journalist, he would not consider the occupation until later.

Woodward later enrolled in Yale University with an NROTC scholarship, and studied history and English literature (Clark 2). "Prestigious Yale gave him a new, more sophisticated arena in which to continue questioning authority figures. It was this new academic world that would give him his first leg up when he began his unexpected career a decade later" (Havil 12). Yale is supposedly where Woodward would accumulate a myriad of governmental connections within the CIA and White House, from the secret society he joined, Book and Snake. "Yale opened up new worlds to Woodward" (Shepard 6). It was at Yale where Woodward changed from a conservative Republican to a more social liberal (6).

"A few weeks after receiving his B.A. degree in 1965, he entered the United States Navy for a four-year tour of duty" (Academy of Achievement par 1). His background of a small-town Midwestern Republican would allow him access to clandestine operations and information (Havil 29-47). Woodward had a tendency to keep a log of what he found important (61). He also had worked on the ship's newspaper, giving him a reason to question anyone on board (61). This experience seeded the thought of the occupation and the experience. This was also a time of social progress, and the increasing political awareness would cause opposition towards the Vietnam War and nuclear weapons, the advocacy of world peace and the hostility to the authority of Government (Campbell par 3). These, in the future, would be further instigated by the Watergate Scandal, and Woodward at this time felt he should have been a reporter.

After his service, he attempted a two-week trail without pay at The Washington Post (Academy of Achievement par 2). He couldn't write well and was fairly inexperienced, so he was later reassigned to The Montgomery Sentinel (2). Woodward's determination and aspiration in his attempt for the Post, not many people are willing to work so hard for nothing. His passion showed with The Sentinel as well. His boss, Roger Farquhar, had described Woodward as having "a great work ethic" and said he would "work for hours" and "take on a story like a bulldog" (Havil 64). It was becoming his passion, Bob Woodward said: "I was a night police reporter... I would come in and work during the day because I liked it so much. The world is open to you" (Shepard 14). It wasn't long since he had become successful with The Sentinel, and then transferred to The Post. The basis for his journalistic fame kept building with his determination and passion, the missing component would be Carl Bernstein. Bernstein, who wrote almost poetically, but only did a few investigative pieces, he did unassigned reporting though, called "new journalism" (Havil 57-63).

"The works of Woodward and Bernstein... would lay bare and explain the inner workings of an institution or expose a political system gone wrong" (Havil xix)

When looking at All the President's Men one must consider though, the outcome of the book was already known, therefore some rhetorical devices; such as allusion, dialogue, and listing; are used to shock the masses with the information of the political scandal. One must also notice the title alludes to the nursery rhyme of Humpty Dumpty, which would mean in the end all the president's men would fail (Who 2 par 4). When some of the many "prominent figures of the Nixon administration" in the Watergate Complex are listed, the purpose of the burglary seemingly alludes Nixon alleged involvement with the break-in (Bernstein, Woodward 14). Also, Watergate is described as: "The futuristic complex, with its serpent’s-teeth concrete balustrades... had become the symbol of the ruling class in Richard Nixon's Washington" (14). The unabashedly allude Nixon and his administration were monstrous. Lawyer Earl Silbert argues the burglars shouldn't be released on bond, Woodward writes it: "They had given false names, had not cooperated with the police, possessed '$2300 in cold cash, and had a tendency to travel abroad.' They had been arrested in a 'professional burglary' with a 'clandestine' purpose. Silbert drew out the word 'clandestine'" (18). It is quite apparent, when Woodward points out the drawing out of 'clandestine', he was alluding to it being a term usually related to the CIA. Woodward makes connections apparent, especially so when the burglars, who happen to be CIA agents, are self-acclaimed "anti-communists" (18). Nixon himself was anti communist, these connections that Woodward makes causes him to look into the investigation. His curiosity would cause him to dwell further in, he had to know more. This is especially so when James McCord, one of the men involved, is found to be the security coordinator for the Committee for the Re-election of the President (also known as CRP). In fact, Lawrence F. O'Brien, the Democratic national chairman, "said the break-in 'raised the ugliest question of the integrity of the political process that I have encountered in a quarter-century of political activity. No mere statement of innocence by Mr. Nixon's campaign manager, John Mitchell, will dispel these questions" (21). Not only does this allude somewhat to Nixon's involvement, it seems to be a justification of Woodward's investigation, seeing as he values integrity.

All the President's Men has an air of a quasi-fictional mystery novel, or play. A Cast of Characters (Bernstein, Woodward 9-11) is inserted in the beginning of the book, it was effective in enforcing its play-like style, and it was also instituted in other books such like Watergate by Fred Emery and In Search of Deep Throat by Leonard Garment. Woodward investigates and tries to make connections, some information he gains becomes dissimilar to previous information. Mr. James Grimm claims that the burglar, Eugino Martinez, apparently had called to arrange accommodations for the GOP national convention (23). Strangely enough, when Woodward called the groups involved in the conventions planning, "all said they had never heard of Martinez or of plans to use the University for housing (23)". The reader is left to wonder about the seemingly fallacious information, not knowing what to expect, just as in a mystery novel. It seems throughout the book, when connections are made with the information achieved through various contacts, they are contradicted with statements or information of others; the suspicion keeps building, and the answers seem misleading or confusing. Persistence kept the questions flowing and the investigation continued on. It seemed White House official and CRP was "in the business of sending reporters on wild-goose chases" (34). Long after Watergate was over, Woodward was asked why he had kept pushing on the investigation, he replied, "one clue led to the next, to the next, to the next, and it just never stopped. So we continued working on it" (Clark 6). Proofs of the connections of CPR to the burglary are finally made after many calls and investigations, persistence got Woodward the information he needed. A $25,000 cashier's check for the campaign chest of President Nixon was deposited by Bernard L. Barker, one of the burglars (Bernstein, Woodward 44). Barry Sussman, the DC Editor, can only reply, "We've never had a story like this. Just never" (44). It was surprising and a fairly new concept, and "as the number of leads and components in the Watergate story increased, the reporters became almost possessed by it" (50). The determination never seems to die; they kept pushing for information from several hundred people (50). The Bookkeeper: "You guys keep digging. You've really struck close to home" (62). The Bookkeeper, along with many other sources, was an important part of the novel, but they also demonstrated the seriousness of the situation in the time.

The paranoia of the elusive characters demonstrated through the book shows the seriousness and consequences of the situation, and the integrity and desperateness of those involved to tell of what was happening. At first when Woodward calls his old friend who worked in the government for information, he didn’t want to be called at his office. All he said was “the break-in case was going to ‘heat-up,’ but he couldn’t explain and hung up” (Bernstein, Woodward 23). The risks of the information leak and its consequences stroked fear into the informant, causing them to wish for anonymity and to be vague about the information they gave. A list of campaign officials was retrieved from a committee insider, he had said, “You realize, I’ll lose my job if they find out,” this simple list of names was dubbed classified (58). As the people on this list were confronted, some would plead them to leave before they were seen (59). One of the employees on the list was trembling in fear, “Please leave me alone… you don’t realize the pressure we’re under” (59). “Another said, ‘I want to help,’ and burst into tears” (59). Whatever they were hiding was of great importance, to the point where they feared for their lives. One of the more important contacts, The Bookkeeper, was very reluctant to give any information and seemed manic-depressive from the stressful and peculiar situation. She would discuss with the reporters vague financial information of the CRP. She would confirm a few key factors of the scandal, and refused to answer much else (63-9). The most important dubbed Deep Throat would confirm and add perspective to the obtained information (71). The way he operated though was very clandestine and cautious, making sure he was never followed or suspected as an official in the government (71-6). The fact he was possibly a part of the White House and he was fighting back had surprised many. With many anonymous sources of information, “they had verified the information with sources in enough different places” (77). The people involved wanted to speak, even if they did so in fear, and with their help, the Watergate Scandal came to a close.

“After All the President's Men, nothing would ever be the same” (Recorded Books par 1).

If one was to join investigative journalism, one must know and study Bob Woodward. He had changed journalism and much of American views. Ben Bradlee: "They're a part of American folklore now. Everybody knows their names" (Havil 93). Bob Woodward would come to be known for "maybe the single greatest reporting effort of all time" (Clark par 1). "Three decades after Watergate, their names, especially Woodward’s, are still synonymous with the gold standard in investigative, in-depth reporting" (Shepard xiv). "Not only did Woodstein inspire a generation, they created a new vocabulary: 'A reliable source', 'investigative reporting', 'deep background', 'off the record', 'stonewall', 'can you confirm or deny', and 'Deep Throat'" (xiii). In the end, the Watergate scandal brought down a President and made Bob Woodward the most famous investigative reporter in America (Academy of Achievement par 3). With this newly acclaimed fame, his credibility grew. "He has written or co-written several bestsellers, including The Final Days (1976, with Bernstein), The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court (1979, with Scott Armstrong), Veil: The Secret Wars of the C.I.A., 1981-1987 (1987) and The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House (1994). He gained unusual access to the White House during the administration of George W. Bush, resulting in three books about the war in Iraq. Bush at War (2002) and Plan of Attack (2004) were both viewed as positive reviews of Bush's presidency, but State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III (2006) depicted the president's leadership as clumsy at best" (Who2 par 1).

The investigations of Watergate affected America so greatly during the incident "George McGovern held a press conference and called the Watergate investigation a 'whitewash. . . .’What is involved here is not only the political life of this nation, but the very morality of our leaders at a time when the United States desperately needs to revitalize its moral standards'" (Havil 74).This showcases the great consequence of the actual investigation, it would come to affect the whole nation, not just the life of Nixon. Woodstein's means of acquiring information at times were "unethical or bordered criminality" (88). There are also quite a few inconsistencies (81-92). "Bob portrays his background in such a way that his initial success as a writer and a reporter, particularly during Watergate, seems to have come from simple hard work, from knocking on doors in the dark of night and from talking with low-level government secretaries," which seems to be not true (56).

Woodward is also very popular in American pop culture. On The Simpsons episode "Whacking Day", Bart reads a book called The Truth About Whacking Day, written by Bob Woodward (Who2 par 36). In the movie The Skulls, the character Will Beckford tries to compare himself to Woodward while reading his column in the school newspaper (37). In the movie Dick, which is about Watergate, Woodward is played by actor/comedian Will Ferrell (38). Woodward and Bernstein are depicted as two bickering, childish near-incompetents, small-mindedly competitive with each other (38). In the movie Wired, adapted from Woodward's book Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi, Woodward is portrayed onscreen by J. T. Walsh (40). The graphic novel Watchmen by Alan Moore is set in a version of 1985 where Nixon is a fifth-term president (41). A throwaway line reveals that pair of unknown journalists, Woodward and Bernstein, was found murdered in a garage in the early 1970s (41). This same scenario is used as a dystopian detail in Back to the Future 2 (41). In the episodic video game Watchmen: The End is Nigh, telling about events before the graphic novel, Rorschach and Nite Owl II find Woodward and Bernstein dead in the crime lord Underboss' car's trunk (41). Woodward scripted the "Der Roachenkavalier" episode of Hill Street Blues that aired on February 3, 1987 (42). In one Bloom County series, Woodward writes a fictional expose about the late Bill the Cat's "ugly, sordid private life", based entirely on information he got out of Opus the Penguin (although Mickey Mouse and Charlie Brown also appear to have something to do with it) (43). A three-Sunday strip-long mockumenatry based on the Woodward book was used later to explain how Bill came back to life after dying in a car crash (44). In "The Long Lead Story", episode 5 of the NBC television series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Matthew Perry's character Matt Albie is talking to reporter Martha O'Dell, played by Christine Lahti (45). She points to his show board and says, "The Lobster sketch isn't funny yet," to which he replies, "Tell me something else I don't know, Woodward"; a sarcastic jab at O'Dell's decision to report on a sketch-comedy show despite being a Pulitzer Prize-winning political reporter (45). In The Wire episode "React Quotes", a borderline-incompetent journalist is referred to as "not exactly Bob Woodward" (46). In multiple episodes of Gilmore Girls they refer to Woodward, Ben Bradlee, Bernstein, and All the President's Men (47). In the film Watchmen, The Comedian states while shooting at a riot saying "Ain't had this much fun since Woodward & Bernstein" (48).

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Works Cited

Academy of Achievement. “Bob Woodward & Ben Bradlee.” Academy of Achievement. 21 October 2009

<http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/woo1bio-1>

Campbell, Rebecca. "Book Review." All The President's Men. 4 January 2009 <http://amazon.com>

Clark, Jake. "Full Biography." Bob Woodward. 21 October 2009 <http://bobwoodward.com>

Emery, Fred. Watergate. New York; Times Books, 1995

Garment, Leonard. In Search of Deep Throat. New York: Basic Book, 2000

Havil, Adrian. Deep Truth. New York: Birch Lane Press, 1993

Shepard, Alicia. Life in the Shadow of Watergate. Hoboken: Jon Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007

Simkin, John. "The Watergate Scandal." Spartacus Educational. 21 October 2009 <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.uk/watergate.htm>

Who2 “Bob Woodward.” Answers. 21 October 09 < http://www.answers.com/topic/bob-woodward-journalist >

Woodward, Bob. Bernstein, Carl. All the President's Men. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1987

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Annotated Bibliography

Academy of Achievement. “Bob Woodward & Ben Bradlee.” Academy of Achievement. 21 October 2009

<http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/woo1bio-1>

An educational website which contains a profile, an interview, and background of Woodward

Campbell, Rebecca. "Book Review." All the President's Men. 4 January 2009 <http://amazon.com>

A reader's review of All the President's Men and its background

Clark, Jake. "Full Biography." Bob Woodward. 21 October 2009 <http://bobwoodward.com>

A website dedicated to Bob Woodward, containing some background information, and some information of his books

Emery, Fred. Watergate. New York; Times Books, 1995

An overview of the Watergate Scandal

Feldstein, Mark. "Watergate Revisited." American Journalism Review. Detroit: Cenegage Learning, 2008

A review of the Watergate Scandal's occurrence

Garment, Leonard. In Search of Deep Throat. New York: Basic Book, 2000

An in depth report on Deep Throat

Giuffo, John. Watergate. Detroit: Cenegage Learning, 2008

A book solely based on the event of the Watergate break-in

Greenberg, David. Beyond Deep Throat. Detroit: Cenegage Learning, 2008

Showed the consequences and the effects of the alleged connection

Havil, Adrian. Deep Truth. New York: Birch Lane Press, 1993

A biased down-look on Woodward and Bernstein as being unethical

Liebovich, Louis. Richard Nixon, Watergate, and the Press. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2006

A small booklet with some information on the three entitled

Recorded Books. “Publisher’s Summary.” All the President’s Men. 21 October 2009

<http://www.audible.com/adbl/site/products/ProductDetail.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0192646941.1260484391@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccckadejdhjldmgcefecekjdffidfkh.0&productID=BK_RECO_000612&redirectFlag=>

Shepard, Alicia. Life in the Shadow of Watergate. Hoboken: Jon Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007

A review of Woodward's work

Simkin, John. "The Watergate Scandal." Spartacus Educational. 21 October 2009 <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.uk/watergate.htm>

An educational website containing information on people involved with Watergate

Swint, Kerwin. Mudslingers. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 20006

Americas worst scandals, so far

Werth, Barry. 31 Days. New York: Anchor Book, 2006

About Nixon's last days in office

Who2. “Bob Woodward.” Answers. 21 October 09

<http://www.answers.com/topic/bob-woodward-journalist >

Biographical information on authors

Woodward, Bob. Bernstein, Carl. All the President's Men. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1987