So far, out of all the movies we have watched this semester "All the President's Men," in my opinion, represents true journalism the best. This can most likely be attributed to the fact that it is based upon actual events in history that were still fresh in people's memory. I feel, while there is a lot of artistic direction and very carefully crafted choreography, it is more focused on journalism than being a "movie" so to speak. Of course, it does have a plot line, and story, but amidst that is a very strong central journalistic narrative. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein portray the utmost journalistic excellence as they pursue a story that puts their own lives in danger, as well as the reputation of the Washington Post, all to accomplish, essentially, the central goal of journalism, which is to inform citizens so they can be free and self governing. I found this movie to provide excellent examples of the elements of journalism. By pursuing this story they were also keeping those in the highest governmental courts accountable, and in check. They also verified their sources and worked very hard to get people to speak on record to cross check their information. They never inserted themselves into the story they were writing, and they never embellished the truth. They didn't side with any party, but rather they submitted to a cause, even while the media portrayed them as siding with the democrats and attacking the republicans.
The following video highlights the journalistic methods Woodward and Bernstein used, as well as a behind the scenes look of the film, and how it was crafted to best tell the story. It's really interesting to see how accurate this movie really was (even looking at the real journalists compared to Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman.)
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