“All the President’s Men” is a movie that stars both Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. Both of these actors are very successful and have both won the Lifetime Achievement award. In this particular movie, they both played reporters for the Washington Post investigating Watergate. The Watergate break-in was a political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon. It unfolded from 1972 to 1974 and led to Nixon’s resignation. The scandal stemmed from the Nixon administration’s subsequent attempts to cover up its involvement in the June 17, 1972, failed break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington, D.C. What the Post did was important to the freedoms of the First Amendment because the Post discovered the truth of the Watergate scandal.
If Bernstein, Woodward and their editor, Ben Bradlee, didn’t pursue this story, the American public wouldn’t see the presidency and the nation’s political institutions the same. A long-term effect of the Watergate scandal caused widespread distrust by the American public. They stopped trusting political institutions. If the facts of the scandal were never reported by the Washington Post, politicians would be able to get away with their lies with no consequences. So, politicians are more accountable because journalists are watching them.
One thing you can take away from what Bernstein, Woodward and the Post did is to follow your dreams no matter how hard it can be. These journalists risked their reputations and even their lives to bring the public the truth.
If you could only watch one movie, it should definitely be, “All The President’s Men.” If you take this advice to watch this movie, you’ll learn about how tough the job of being a reporter really is. You’ll also learn about the risks that come along with getting a story out there.
Scene from All the President’s Men.
