The Watergate Scandal

The Watergate scandal was one of much controversy especially in the journalism industry as well as in politics. When a burglary was reported around June 18, 1972, reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward were called to investigate and identify the details of the burglary.

Determined to get the facts, Woodward and Bernstein went through grueling efforts to interview people which was difficult because it involved dealing with people who were willing to kill before the media knew the truth.

Eventually finding out that the incident was linked to President Nixon’s re-election campaign they were able to find that Nixon was being dishonest, had been trying to steal money and after exposing their story on the Washington Post, he was ultimately forced to resign.

This controversy sparked a lot of opinions that caused people to become angry at the fact that the President and their government had lied to them.

Today, politics are very different in the fact that politicians are more careful in what they say and do. In the media, journalists have much more control over what is exposed and can access information more easily.

Many people link the Watergate scandal to this change in behavior however, “I think money has a bigger influence on the media now than the Watergate scandal” said Eric Magana, current history teacher at Perry.

Whether it be money effecting the politics and media now days or the Watergate scandal one can conclude that there is a difference in how media professionals and politicians can access information which may be a good or bad thing.