All the Presidents Men
The importance of journalism has always been the fact that they serve as the fourth estate in our democracy. The power of journalism and reporters is that they have no allegiance to a political party or to individuals. They are motivated only by their desire to reveal the truth and to deliver that truth to the public. In not other instance has the power of the press been in full display as depicted in the 1976 thriller All the President's Men. The movie shows the investigative process that led reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to follow the failed burglary attempt at the Democratic Party Headquarters at the Watergate complex.
The story starts when The Washington Post assigns a Bob Woodward, a new reporter, to cover this failed burglary. At first the story is viewed as a small story and is relegated to just a small part of the paper, but as Woodward begins to learn more details of the story and he finds the connections that these would be burglars have to governmental agencies and to other federal institutions. Eventually with the help of an informant with deep ties and their determination to get the truth of who really was behind the burglary and subsequent cover-up, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein release the truth that leads the resignation of President Nixon and forever taints the administration's legacy.
What we see here is a prime demonstration of the power of the fourth estate and the power that they have and how they can essentially change the landscape of an entire country. I picked this film to analyze and study is given to the current administration's propensity to antagonize journalists and news organizations. The current administration's frequent disrespect to the journalists and the news organizations by calling them "fake news" is an incredibly dangerous and frightening stance that they have taken. In a country where we have seen the power that journalists have had, by painting them as the enemy the current administration has drawn a clear line and wants people to question the facts and the truth that they provide.
As citizens of the country who are bounded by the laws set by a select group of people, we should be more weary of those who are willing to demonize journalists, who have taken it as a personal mission to find the truth and expose it. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein knew that there lives were at risk the deeper that there investigation got. Even knowing that they could potentially die, they were willing to take the risk all in the name of getting to the truth.
In these times of uncertainty, the need for the press is as important as any other time in history. Sure in last 2 decades journalism has faced an increasingly number of threats that can destroy the industry as a whole. But, in today's world everyday we realize the necessity and importance of journalism to a well functioning democratic world and we should remain vigilant to any force that tries to destroy them.
The story starts when The Washington Post assigns a Bob Woodward, a new reporter, to cover this failed burglary. At first the story is viewed as a small story and is relegated to just a small part of the paper, but as Woodward begins to learn more details of the story and he finds the connections that these would be burglars have to governmental agencies and to other federal institutions. Eventually with the help of an informant with deep ties and their determination to get the truth of who really was behind the burglary and subsequent cover-up, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein release the truth that leads the resignation of President Nixon and forever taints the administration's legacy.
What we see here is a prime demonstration of the power of the fourth estate and the power that they have and how they can essentially change the landscape of an entire country. I picked this film to analyze and study is given to the current administration's propensity to antagonize journalists and news organizations. The current administration's frequent disrespect to the journalists and the news organizations by calling them "fake news" is an incredibly dangerous and frightening stance that they have taken. In a country where we have seen the power that journalists have had, by painting them as the enemy the current administration has drawn a clear line and wants people to question the facts and the truth that they provide.
As citizens of the country who are bounded by the laws set by a select group of people, we should be more weary of those who are willing to demonize journalists, who have taken it as a personal mission to find the truth and expose it. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein knew that there lives were at risk the deeper that there investigation got. Even knowing that they could potentially die, they were willing to take the risk all in the name of getting to the truth.
In these times of uncertainty, the need for the press is as important as any other time in history. Sure in last 2 decades journalism has faced an increasingly number of threats that can destroy the industry as a whole. But, in today's world everyday we realize the necessity and importance of journalism to a well functioning democratic world and we should remain vigilant to any force that tries to destroy them.
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