Watergate and its effect on journalism

It is the middle of the night, five burglars creep around the offices of Watergate.Their intent was unknown as the time, until they were caught and arrested. The news media would have thought it to be a simple break-in, they would not be able to fathom the conspiracy behind this intrusion.

The Watergate Scandal was a scheme pioneered by the Richard Nixon Administration. It was uncovered largely by two Washington Post reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. This discovery would lead to the eventually resignation of Richard Nixon.

It could be argued that the exploits of Woodward and Bernstein has inspired a future generation to enter journalism. Nowadays with the Internet, it can be easy to become a journalist with only a few clicks and some typing.

“There was more scrutiny from the press towards the President,” said government teacher John Fuela. After Watergate, the press seemed to be more focused on trying to report on anything negative that the government would do.

With recent events, it could be said that there is a large amount of muckrakers in journalism. Muckrakers are journalists who investigate potential scandals or ill doings in corporations or politics.

With the government under almost constant surveillance from the press, the public can be notified if there is ever an abuse of power. We can have insurance that our rights as an American critizen are protected.