Pinacle of Excellent Journalism in "All the President's Men"

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.)

All the President's Men: Dull but True

All the President’s Men is the most journalistically relevant film we’ve watched in this class so far. At first I found it to be extremely dry, but the more I thought about it, the more I began to appreciate it. We as movie-viewers are spoiled by fantastical storylines designed to constantly keep us amused. This film, however, seemed to be a lot more “muse” than “amusement,” and while it took more discipline to follow the film and not zone out, I can appreciate it for its realism. Showing phone call after phone call and years of investigating and research doesn’t make for the most interesting film, but it does make for a far more accurate depiction of journalism than most films. The plot didn’t need to fall back on some kind of fluffy love-interest sub-plot or personal-life crisis. In fact, the viewer knows virtually nothing about the journalists’ backgrounds and personal lives. Just like journalism itself, this movie was convincing and effective through its detail and showing of the process, no matter how dry and mundane. The monotony of hitting road block after road block made the breakthroughs all the more triumphant and exciting. It is also a great story of investigative journalism, which is becoming a lost art in our generation.

All The President's Men and Good Journalism

All The President's Men is the first film we've seen that actually employs good journalism. The almost superhero journalist duo of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein went to great lengths to uncover one of the greatest presidential scandals in the history of the United States. They did it with determination, skill, and the know-how to uncover the facts they needed. It's good to teach students what they shouldn't do when it comes to journalism, but it is even better to show how they should do it. Watergate can be generally pointed to as the birth of investigative journalism. Something that 60 minutes capitalizes on weekly. How did two men with different personalities and character traits break the biggest story of the decade? All The Preisdent's Men gives the viewer the answer in every scene. The film does a great job of showing the time lapse between the start of the report and the finish. Woodward and Bernstein jump through multiple hoops just to even get approval from their editors. They make more phone calls than I have in my life to the same people over and over again. They get multiple sources to make sure the story is correct and they interview and re-interview witnesses to the crime. In the end the film isn't even about Watergate, it is about impressive journalism by two talented professionals. Every self-respecting journalist aspires to this level of integrity and reporting.

I saw this last night on Jon Stewart. Bill Moyer of PBS discusses good journalism: Part 1, Part 2

All the Presidents Men

The individuals portrayed in these two films exemplify what it means to practice good journalism.

All The Presidents Men

Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein have gone down in journalism history for their relentless pursuit and and eventual breaking of the Watergate scandal. Devotion + Determination + Follow Through = Great Journalism. These two men went up against the entirety of the Nixon administration, and won. No other news organizations would go near this story for fear of receiving the same sharp criticism as the Washington Post. Furthermore, they stuck to their journalistic principles throughout the entirety of their multi-year long investigation. Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford did a spectacular job. It's very easy to see why these two actors are considered to be near the top of the "A" list. Years later Bernstein and Woodward were interviewed, and after having seen it, you get a good sense of just how accurate the film's depiction of this event really is.