Following their investigations, Woodward and associate, Cal Bernstein, retreated to Florida where they wrote their best seller, All The President's Men. The book elucidated the techniques and intricacies of their investigations and they evidence presented to them. It garnered significant attention for both bringing down a President, and the lengths an investigative reporter is willing to go to in order to get to their story.
A film adaptation of the book was released quickly after the book. The film starred Robert Redford as Bob Woodward, and in his book on Mark Felt, The Secret Man, Woodward reveals Redford's approach and support during the original series of articles. The film proved a success, with Hal Holbrook, Dustin Hoffman and Redford leading the cast through the moral dilemma and daily grind that is a print newsroom.
As well as its critical and commercial success, what the film did do is further the careers of Bernstein and Woodward and turn investigative journalism into a popular and distinguished career. Woodward was a late starter to journalism and despite starting his career at The Washington Post, was moved into a smaller newspaper shortly after his initiation into the 4th estate. He was then reinstated at The Washington Post and his enthusiasm and ability to be in the right place at the right time (he was covering the court case of the burglars when he learned of their C.I.A. past) led him to the Watergate investigation.
Woodward was also fortunate in his secretive Hollywood-esque meetings with Mark Felt/Deep Throat. He had previously met Felt (a high level F.B.I. career man) when he was at a White House event during his career as a serviceman.
Now Woodward has been criticised for his writing style - a fundamental skill for journalists - but what the film did was announce to the public that there is more to that in good journalism. Primarily, Woodward is a reporter, who writes what he sees and hears from people. However, thanks to the success of his articles and film (not to mention bringing down a president), it is clear that grafting, digging deep and speaking to the right people are key qualities in modern journalism. His articles may not read like an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, but Woodward's approach and fame inspired future generations to take up investigative journalism.There is no limit to the effect it can have, be it taking down a president or winning an academy award.
Bob Woodward's investigative journalism tips.
I don't know that Bernstein and Woodward fit the contemporary definition of "celebrity reporter". True, they became household names in the wake of the Watergate scandal, possibly as a result of their own book, but this lead to a great interest in the role of the journalist as watchdog. A great number of young people entered the profession with idealistic dreams of "making a difference".
ReplyDeleteNow who do we have? Katie Couric? She may have lucked into that interview with Sarah Palin, but that is little more than being in the right place at the right time. Anderson Cooper got his own show after his live reporting in the aftermath of Katrina, but too many now enter the field because they want to be on television. The goal isn't to make a difference, but to break the big story. Of course there are thousands of hard working reporters doing the leg work, but changes to the industry have largely eliminated the type of in depth investigative reporting that Woodward and Bernstein made their name doing.