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COMMUNICATION: JOURNALISM EDUCATION TODAY © 2014 JOURNALISM EDUCATION ASSOCIATION Your use of material obtained from the Journalism Education Association, including this digital copy of Communication: Journalism Education Today or excerpt indicates that you are aware of the following. • The content of this digital information is for your own personal, non- commercial use only, including use in your classroom. • You may distribute this material in any form, print or digital, to students in your classroom — not to others. • You may upload this material to any password-protected website for use by students in your classroom. • Content in this magazine remains copyrighted by the authors while the Journalism Education Association retains copyright to the magazine itself. For more information, visit http://jea.org/home/for-educators/cjet/. JEA.ORG PUBLICATIONS EDITOR Bradley Wilson, MJE, Ph.D. [email protected] ASSISTANT EDITOR Howard Spanogle COPY EDITOR Connie Fulkerson ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Pam Boller W: 785-532-5532 Fax: 785-532-5563 [email protected] SEND CHANGES OF ADDRESS TO: Journalism Education Association Kansas State University 103 Kedzie Hall Manhattan, KS 66506-1505 785-532-5532 S PECIAL R EPORT SPECIAL “The process bugging device. REPORT James W. McCord, a former CIA employee, BY BRADLEY WILSON was being held in the District of Columbia. jail on $30,000 bond yesterday. The other four were being held on $50,000 bond. All are charged with attempted burglary and attempted interception of telephone and All The Presidentother conversati’son s.Men But on June 17, 1972, in an era following the assassination of President Kennedy and at the height of the unpopular Vietnam War, it was this botched burglary that was the beginning of a chain of events that would ultimately result in the resignation of the How two president of the United States and dozens of other top officials. Richard Nixon, on an edition of “Meet the Press” journalists after his resignation, said, “It was a small thing that had become a big thing. It was a small thing, the break in. It was the cover-up that was wrong. That Photo John was the big thing. There was no doubt about that Mitchell ess at all.” Pr But doubt, doubt about all facets of the cover-up, Associated Press Photo the investigation and the involvement of the presi- Associated a president dent — what did he know and when did he know it check. When Woodward and Bob Carl Bernstein — pervaded American society in the early ’70s. In their original story published in the Washington “The processand liv edis Post June 19, 1972, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward quoted former Attorney General John N. Mitchell and then head of the Committee for the youto c hecusek Re-Election of the President saying McCord and the to tell about it. other four men arrested at Democratic headquarters Saturday “were not operating either in our behalf or and doublecheck. with our consent” in the alleged bugging attempt. GOP National Chairman Bob Dole issued a simi- lar statement, adding, “We deplore action of this . When you use kind in or touthe bookof politics.” in y our classroom an unnamedo r t e a c h i n g t h e m o v i e a n d A g u i d e f Democratic National Committee Chairman Lawrence F. O’Brien said the “bugging incident ... an unnamed raised the ugliest questions about the integrity of the political process that I have encountered in a quarter century.” Breaking into an office in the Watergate sixth floor of the Watergate hotel source, But throughout the debacle, the Watergate inci- sourcehotel and office building,, even today, and office building. dent brought out the true character of the president might amount to little more than burglary The suspects had photographic and certainly called into question his integrity. He charges. equipment and electronic surveil- was obsessed with enemies, obsessed with settling it’s allThe newson briefy ourmight read something lance instruments capable of inter- scores. He was obsessed with vengeance and kept a like this. cepting both regular conversation long list of enemies. Five suspects, well-dressed, and telephone communication. shoulders.” On an episode of “Meet the Press” in June 2002, it’s all wearinong rubber sur giycal glovesour and Police also said two ceiling panels Bernstein said, “What’s so fascinating about watch- unarmed, were arrested about 2:30 near Democratic National Committee ing Nixon is that to him it was about a break in. a.m. Saturday after police surprised Chairman Lawrence F. O’Brien’s office This, Watergate, was about the real identity of this them inside the 29-office suite of had been removed in such a way as presidency.” the Democratic headquarters on the to make it possible to slip in a shoulders.” Bernstein and Woodward inspired a generation of FAll 2002 communicAtion: JournAlism educAtion todAy •‑13 S PECIAL R EPORT “The process bugging device. James W. McCord, a former CIA employee, was being held in the District of Columbia. jail on $30,000 bond yesterday. The other four were being held on $50,000 bond. All are charged with attempted burglary and attempted interception of telephone and other conversations. But on June 17, 1972, in an era following the assassination of President Kennedy and at the height of the unpopular Vietnam War, it was this botched burglary that was the beginning of a chain of events that would ultimately result in the resignation of the president of the United States and dozens of other top officials. Richard Nixon, on an edition of “Meet the Press” after his resignation, said, “It was a small thing that had become a big thing. It was a small thing, the break in. It was the cover-up that was wrong. That was the big thing. There was no doubt about that John Mitchell at all.” But doubt, doubt about all facets of the cover-up, Associated Press Photo the investigation and the involvement of the presi- check. When dent — what did he know and when did he know it — pervaded American society in the early ’70s. In their original story published in the Washington “The process is Post June 19, 1972, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward quoted former Attorney General John N. Mitchell and then head of the Committee for the youto c hecusek Re-Election of the President saying McCord and the other four men arrested at Democratic headquarters Saturday “were not operating either in our behalf or and doublecheck. with our consent” in the alleged bugging attempt. GOP National Chairman Bob Dole issued a simi- lar statement, adding, “We deplore action of this an Whunnameden you use kind in or out of politics.” Democratic National Committee Chairman Lawrence F. O’Brien said the “bugging incident ... an unnamed raised the ugliest questions about the integrity of the political process that I have encountered in a quarter century.” sourcesource, , But throughout the debacle, the Watergate inci- dent brought out the true character of the president and certainly called into question his integrity. He it’s all on your was obsessed with enemies, obsessed with settling scores. He was obsessed with vengeance and kept a long list of enemies. it’s allshoulder ons. ” your On an episode of “Meet the Press” in June 2002, Bernstein said, “What’s so fascinating about watch- ing Nixon is that to him it was about a break in. This, Watergate, was about the real identity of this presidency.” shoulders.” Bernstein and Woodward inspired a generation of 14 •‑communicAtion: JournAlism educAtion todAy FAll 2002 All The President’s Men reporters with their in-depth stories and their ability we were to break that pledge, our work as a reporter to continue following the story when everyone said would be over.” there was no story. But the use of anonymous sources, when there is On a Discovery Channel special on the 30th no alternative, also brings even more responsibility anniversary of Watergate John Dean said, “They did to the journalist, Woodward said. keep attention to this story when no one else was “The process is to check and doublecheck. When reporting it. They gave validity to the story.” you use an unnamed source, it’s all on your shoul- They couldn’t have done it without their still ders.” unnamed source, “Deep Throat,” a secret source Along these lines, Bernstein said there were many that lurked in the shadows of Woodward’s and lessons that could be learned from Watergate. Bernstein’s book and subsequent movie, All the “The lessons have to do with being careful, with President’s Men. using multiple sources, to putting information in “It’s probably the best kept secret in the world,” context, to not being swayed by gossip, by sensa- Bernstein said. tionalism, by manufactured controversy, all of which What we know about “Deep Throat” (the name have come to dominate our journalistic agenda in obtained from a pornographic movie of the time) the past 30 years. The real thing is sketchy at best. He could never be quoted, even is about responsibility.” anonymously, for fear of being identified. He had to While Richard Nixon be in the White House continuously from May of may have, as he said, “let the 1972. He sometimes fed bad information. He drank American people down,” he too Scotch. And, rather than feeding factual informa- acknowledged the responsibility tion, he often offered guidance. he held. Only three people, Woodward, Bernstein and for- “The man at the top must mer Washington Post Editor Ben Bradlee, know Deep bear the responsibility. The Throat’s identity, something that hasn’t stopped a responsibility belongs here in generation of people from guessing.

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