Watergate: How the investigation affected the American people

After Watergate, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein set a new standard for reporting the news. Many Americans now depend on media to report the truth, because the government failed to do so during the Watergate scandal.How did the Watergate scandal affect the American People of that time?

In the 1970's, the American people did not expect scandals in the White House. While there have always been tarnished events involving the White House, Woodward helped make the President's life more public. They transformed many Americans views of the White House and media.

Paula Pugh, an American who lived at the time of Nixon and the Watergate said, "It was a transforming time for America, and it was surprising to read and hear about what the Washington Post uncovered about Watergate and the White House. We were not hearing it from any where else."


Bob Purdy a professor of history said, "It was a transforming time for the country. We went through a long time where there did not look like there were any good people in Washington at all. I cannot remember anything else in my life where it was like drip, drip of information.


Journalism point of view

Woodward and Bernstein had to fight to get every story printed because most of their sources were not on record. The Washington Post editors were afraid of repercussions by printing a story no other newspaper would touch.


Bob Belair, a graduate student at the time of Nixon and Watergate said, "Woodward changed journalism of the time to become more investigative reporting."

Purdy said, "Woodward changed the face of journalism, I am not sure if it was good but they did."


Reporting, more that ever after Watergate, is about finding the truth by more investigation and being unafraid to be the watchdogs for the American people.


Trust in the government

"Watergate was an unfortunate event in American history," said Belair. Americans thought they could trust their government and the statements it made. When the people have an administration under a President accused of being part of a cover-up of criminal activity, it shakes their faith in government and leads to a questioning of the morals of their leaders. Many people became cynical about the government at the time and remain so even today. President Nixon resigned as a consequence of the leak and the investigative reporting by Woodward and Bernstein. Their groundbreaking reporting led to charges of fraud and imprisonment of several of the "President's men".

Woodward reported stories that helped uncover the deepest secrets of the White House at the time.