All the President’s Men is a film about the Watergate scandal. It follows the story of Woodward and Bernstein, two journalists writing for the Washington Post. The film highlights the struggles journalists face when covering sensitive topics. While Woodward and Bernstein work tirelessly in pursuit of the truth, it seems that several forces work against them.
Throughout the movie, Bernstein and Woodward have to work hard to find reliable sources. Since the story they are writing would incriminate the entire committee to re-elect President Nixon, sources are hesitant to go on the record. It becomes more clear as the film goes on that something else is going on. Not only are sources hesitant, they are afraid to provide information.
Bernstein and Woodward eventually speak with Hugh Sloan, a member of the committee. Sloan provides information that he later denies once the story is published. This causes problems for the post. Bernstein and Woodward are criticized by the public and accused of fabricating quotes.
This film displays the importance of our first amendment rights. It shows what happens when those rights are infringed upon. Members of the committee are forced to conceal information about illegal happenings. This makes it difficult for reporters to properly inform the public about what exactly is going on. The film also demonstrates how scary politics can be and the lengths people will go through to gain or maintain power.
Criticism of “The Media” is not uncommon today. Mistrust of news outlets runs rampant. Modern technology poses it’s own challenges, social media making it easier for people to spread fake news. Unfortunately, much of the general public fails to filter the media they consume. This further encourages this idea that journalists do not seek the truth. Oftentimes, no distinction is made between true journalism and outright lies. This helps to further the spread of misinformation. We live in a time of “alternative facts.” There are too many people in our world who refuse to see hypocrisy, people who want to blame the press rather than themselves. Journalists should be free to do their job, inform the public and provide the truth.
