After a mistake was published in October of 1972, the Post’s managing editor, Ben Bradlee, and Woodward and Bernstein were increasingly cautious of guarding their credibility. Instead of allowing the attempts of intimidation by the government to shut down their operation, they were exponentially thorough in their further publishings. In their following stories, Bradlee required two solid sources for each story and sometimes even delayed publication until every detail could be confirmed. While resisting the urge to beat the competitors to break the newest details of the fight against President Nixon, the Washington Post was able to build strong credibility and take a stand against corrupt political practices that posed a threat against America’s democracy.
History is known to repeat itself. We had a glimpse of this in 2017 when President Trump attempted to intimidate the Washington Post into terminating a journalist over a reporting error. The Washington Post, true to its brand, was not intimidated and continued to employ the journalist and stayed true to its reporting. The Washington Post changed the way that the public viewed the government in the 1970s by exposing the Watergate Scandal that otherwise would have gone undetected, resulting in a corrupt presidential election, and has held true to that sentiment since. Showcasing the qualities of an ideal national news reporting outlet, the Washington Post has built trust and credibility with the American people time and time again by resisting political intimidation and maintaining integrity in its writing.
In this Pulitzer-winning political mystery, you see a real-life American scandal unravel all while Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein protect Freedom of the Press. You will experience an integral part of American history, and possibly find yourself invested into a new career path. It’s not a film you want to miss.
