Watergate Forces the President to his Knees

     If one were to compose a list of modern American journalistic heroes, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward would assuredly rest comfortably at the top. These two reporters for the Washington Post may have shared polar opposite ideals, but this unlikely duo are almost single handedly responsible for one of the most controversial modern journalistic investigations to date.
     When five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee offices and attempting to install listening devices throughout, the entire nation seemed willing to write off the entire scenario as just another third-rate burglary attempt. However, Bernstein and Woodward (or as they would collectively come to be known as, Woodstein) were far from convinced, and together embarked on the investigation of the century. Their mission was far from a walk in the park, and the two had to employ every fiber of their being and determination to ensure that they made any headway at all.

Source: National Archives and Records Administration
Author: White House photo office

     Over the course of almost two years, from the five arrests that night in June of 1972 to Nixon's eventual resignation in early 1974, the men (and the Post) encountered every obstacle one could imagine. Seemingly  nobody was willing to speak with them regarding the matter, and the two had to utilize unconventional, and sometimes illegal methods to obtain much of their information. Thankfully, Woodward had a good friend in the executive branch of our government, and this man fed the pair with highly important information and verified or discredited that which they had already gathered, all from the guise "Deepthroat."
     From August to October of 1972, the "Dynamic Duo" followed their instincts and tracked a clever trail of corruption, beginning with the discovery that the five burglars had been paid with money from Nixon's re-election campaign funds, all the way up until they discovered that the burglary, along with several other attempts at political sabotage, were being funded by a secret fund that only Nixon and his right-hand men had access to. Upon taking these atrocities public, the Washington Post began to suffer the wrath of Nixon. The President made it his personal agenda to seek revenge on not only the two men but the entire paper, pressuring informants not to provide them with information, banning them from White House events, and ultimately causing their value as a company to swiftly decline. However, Woodward and Bernstein had spent too long on their project to fold now, and pressed onward with their investigations.

Author: Ollie Atkins
Source: http://www.judiciaryreport.com/images/Richard-Nixon-Helicopter.jpg

     Eventually, the pair played modern day David to Nixon's Goliath, and shocked the world when they managed to take his wide-spread corruption public. As the government swept in to analyze the situation and take action, the masses finally began to open their eyes to the truths penned by Woodward and Bernstein, and every paper around the country struggled to close the gap they had caused themselves in terms of coverage. The government conducted an unrelenting investigation within its own ranks, and Nixon, after fighting for as long as he could with every fiber of his being, ultimately became the first and only President to resign from his post.
     There is absolutely no way to question that the Watergate scandal and its successive investigation is still relevant today. Woodward and Bernstein breathed new life into the field of investigative journalism to fantastic results, and even more pressure to run the country with integrity is placed on presidential candidates today, men who are placed under more scrutiny than any of their forefathers could have imagined. The duo also set the precedent for future cases in which we have reason to believe that the current President may be playing by his own selfish rules, as such accusations from reliable sources would never go ignored by all but one publication today.

Author: Ollie Atkins
Source: Nixon Presidential Materials Project

Muckraking

     Never has there been an era that so thoroughly and honorably epitomized American journalism as the early twentieth century. Immediately following the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century, our nation reached a wildly unprecedented level of economic prosperity. Unfortunately, alongside of this newly achieved wealth was an endless slew of corrupt businessmen, all propelled by a greedy, seemingly insatiable lust for money. With our nation's prosperity on the line, a new breed of journalists was born to counter this horrific corruption, and so began the era of muckraking.

Source: United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division
Author: Pach Brothers

     Originally coined by a youthful, exasperated President Roosevelt in a moment of helpless frustration, the epithet muckraker soon became a term of endearment amongst the journalism community, and those that chose to pursue its path did so wearing a badge of pride. These journalists were greeted with immense amounts of praise and respect, and were capable of practically (and literally in some cases) doubling the readership of the magazines and newspapers they worked for. In keeping with the vast quantity of homegrown corruption, the list of muckrakers and their various causes is quite extensive, ranging from Ida Tarbell's expose on the Rockefeller oil trust to Samuel Hopkins Adams' articles on patent medicines to David Graham Phillips' brilliant exposure of the obscene corruption to be found in our own Senate!

J. Lincoln Steffens, May '94. Photograph by Rockwood, New York, New York

     Perhaps the most important muckraker, if not for his actual contributions but at least for being the father of the movement, was Lincoln Steffens. Steffens began his career covering Wall Street and city police for the New York Evening Post, and within ten years was writing for the greatest muckraking journal in history, McClure's. His exposure of the corruption within municipal government opened the eyes of many, not only to the true nature of their local politicians but also to the impact the written word can have on enemies of democracy such as these. However, the probing of muckraking investigations are by no means limited to the political sphere, and seemingly none throughout history have driven this point further home than Upton Sinclair. In his legendary series "The Jungle," Sinclair managed to expose the entire meatpacking industry, showcasing more atrocities in his written word than one could shake a stick at. 

A typical meatpacking plant (source)

    Of course, as always, you the reader may be skeptical as to whether or not any of this information is relevant in today's modern times. The answer? Absolutely. If any era of journalism truly embodies the responsibility, integrity, and sheer power of our written works, it is that of the muckrakers. These brave men and women put life and limb at risk to painstakingly investigate every facet of corrupt America and bring it to a screeching halt. If one was to ever question the direction they were taking in a certain piece or series, they must only look back to these proud journalists for reassurance and inspiration.

Sowing the Seeds of Revolution

"That rebellion would have been imposible without the spur of the press."

-A Revolutionary historian on the power of the press

"These are the times that try men's souls."

-Thomas Paine, Crisis essays