Photographer
John Photography
Posts: 13811
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
For those that might be old enough was the Watergate story broken by news reporters investigating it or by a govt. agency?
I'm wondering because if it was reporters it seems like one of the few really big stories that have been uncovered by news reporters. I mean compared to today where you see more "shiny" stories and distractions in the msm..
Photographer
Cherrystone
Posts: 37171
Columbus, Ohio, US
Woodard & Bernstein, Washington Post.
Aided by information from Deep Throat.
Google is your friend.
Photographer
Jay Edwards
Posts: 18616
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US
AdelaideJohn1967 wrote:
For those that might be old enough was the Watergate story broken by news reporters investigating it or by a govt. agency?
I'm wondering because if it was reporters it seems like one of the few really big stories that have been uncovered by news reporters. I mean compared to today where you see more "shiny" stories and distractions in the msm.. I have something to say about the mainstream media and government corruption but Soapbox is closed...
Photographer
Vivus Hussein Denuo
Posts: 64211
New York, New York, US
Jay Edwards wrote:
I have something to say about the mainstream media and government corruption but Soapbox is closed... ...and neither one of those is the subject of this thread, anyway.
Photographer
Abbitt Photography
Posts: 13564
Washington, Utah, US
A single case of real journalism does not mean tabloid or shiny media didn't exist then. There have been investigative stories concerning U.S. presidents since then as well including Reagan's Iran-Contra affair, the Wolfowitz Doctrine and of course the more tabloid like Clinton and Lewinsky.
Photographer
Solas
Posts: 10390
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
what are you on about ? investagative journalism is alive and well...there are huge stories written everyday in all parts of the world..what papers do you read ? there is loads of fluff news..tabloid...often journalists get it wrong..probably most of the time they do..in canada a lot of IJ is political, but won't be able to talk about that here.
Photographer
Click Hamilton
Posts: 36555
San Diego, California, US
Jay Edwards wrote:
I have something to say about the mainstream media and government corruption but Soapbox is closed... Yep.
Excellent subject to juxtapose against what's happening to us today.
Good topics will soon be MMuffled.
I think I better go work in my garden.
Out.
Photographer
American Glamour
Posts: 38813
Detroit, Michigan, US
Cherrystone wrote:
Woodard & Bernstein, Washington Post.
Aided by information from Deep Throat.
Google is your friend. Or you can remember it all vividly as I do. Those were interesting times!
Photographer
Farenell Photography
Posts: 18832
Albany, New York, US
I dunno, I'd say the recent NSA revelations as reported by (what was it?) the Washington Post & the UK Guardian have been just as revelatory as Watergate was.
The only problem is that we as a society has changed. Everything is viewed through the prism of politics. If "your guy" lies &/or breaks the law, I & we all should be outraged & is grounds for impeachment. But if "my guy" outright lies &/or breaks the law, its alright.
Photographer
Bob Helm Photography
Posts: 18909
Cherry Hill, New Jersey, US
Nixon was not popular with most of the press and he was a Republican. Today we have had several non Republican Presidents that the press loved ( well 16 of the last 20 years).
Add in that Watergate was the first major Presidential scandal of the post WWII era. For today you will have to wait for historians to set the record right.
Shame SB is no longer around.
Photographer
Cherrystone
Posts: 37171
Columbus, Ohio, US
GPS Studio Services wrote:
Or you can remember it all vividly as I do. Those were interesting times! I don't think the OP is old enough to remember that.
I despised Nixon with all my being.
Today, I'd vote for him in a hearbeat. That says something. 
Photographer
DougBPhoto
Posts: 39248
Portland, Oregon, US
Farenell Photography wrote:
I dunno, I'd say the recent NSA revelations as reported by (what was it?) the Washington Post & the UK Guardian have been just as revelatory as Watergate was.
The only problem is that we as a society has changed. Everything is viewed through the prism of politics. If "your guy" lies &/or breaks the law, I & we all should be outraged & is grounds for impeachment. But if "my guy" outright lies &/or breaks the law, its alright. Which is even further amplified if the for-profit media is picking sides as to who is their guy and pretending to be legitimate media/journalists while actually really just being a political mechanism pretending to be professional journalists.
It would appear that the days of doing things in the public interest are long gone.
As for what is being "revealed" about domestic spying, I personally think it is rather sad that people are just figuring this out, the writing for these things was clearly on the wall when the PATRIOT Act sailed through congress over a decade ago.
None of this stuff should not be news to anyone. The question is, how do we fix it. (It being our media and our politics.)
The answer, however, we're probably not allowed to discuss here.
As Archie and Edith sang, those were the days
Photographer
Caradoc
Posts: 19900
Scottsdale, Arizona, US
I rather enjoyed Michael Sheen and Frank Langella in Ron Howard's "Frost / Nixon."
Photographer
Cherrystone
Posts: 37171
Columbus, Ohio, US
Karl Johnston wrote:
what are you on about ? investagative journalism is alive and well...there are huge stories written everyday in all parts of the world..what papers do you read ? This
Photographer
Click Hamilton
Posts: 36555
San Diego, California, US
Cherrystone wrote:
I don't think the OP is old enough to remember that.
I despised Nixon with all my being.
Today, I'd vote for him in a hearbeat. That says something. What?
Photographer
Cherrystone
Posts: 37171
Columbus, Ohio, US
Click Hamilton wrote:
What? I know, I know....
Photographer
Al Lock Photography
Posts: 17024
Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand
Yes, I remember Watergate. Yes, it was investigative reporters who broke the story. And the President of the United States would have been impeached if he hadn't resigned.
Photographer
Frank Lewis Photography
Posts: 14492
Winter Park, Florida, US
Cherrystone wrote:
I don't think the OP is old enough to remember that.
I despised Nixon with all my being.
Today, I'd vote for him in a hearbeat. That says something. Nixon couldn't get elected today anymore than Reagan could.
Anyway I watched history unfold every day live on my TV and in my newspaper: the Army/McCarthy hearings; Watergate; the failed hostage rescue; Iran/Contra; the Clinton affair. This NSA thing has been going on since WWII. Back in the '70s, the uncle of a friend (the uncle was involved with the Manhattan Project), would still get the occasional visit from a similar government agency, reminding him to keep his mouth shut.
Photographer
Let There Be Light
Posts: 7657
Los Angeles, California, US
RennsportPhotography wrote:
Nixon was not popular with most of the press and he was a Republican. Today we have had several non Republican Presidents that the press loved ( well 16 of the last 20 years). Not sure if you need a calendar or a history lesson but the US has not had Democratic Presidents (ie, non Republicans) for 16 of the last 20 years. It's 12 of the last 20 then 12 years of Republicans before that. Nixon's Republicanism isn't why he wasn't popular with the press. It was because he was running a criminal enterprise out of the White House that started long before Watergate.
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012 … te-coverup
Photographer
John Carman
Posts: 408
San Francisco, California, US
Remember that the Watergate story didn't start with investigative journalism. It was an odd police/court story -- why would someone have broken into the Democratic National Committee headquarters? The whole thing snowballed, first with connections to Nixon's reelection campaign, then with the White House coverup. But it started because a newspaper was covering police blotters and courts.
Now, as newspapers contract and even die, there won't be qualified journalists looking routinely through police reports and court dockets. It's no use thinking local TV stations are going to pick up the slack. They're hurting, too.
Photographer
Carlos Occidental
Posts: 10583
Los Angeles, California, US
Come on. We all know now that Forrest Gump is Deep Throat. Those flashlights kept bothering him.
Photographer
Jay Edwards
Posts: 18616
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US
Vivus Hussein Denuo wrote:
...and neither one of those is the subject of this thread, anyway. Hmm, both of those subjects are mentioned in the OP...
Photographer
Chris Photography
Posts: 1070
Valrico, Florida, US
AdelaideJohn1967 wrote:
For those that might be old enough was the Watergate story broken by news reporters investigating it or by a govt. agency?
I'm wondering because if it was reporters it seems like one of the few really big stories that have been uncovered by news reporters. I mean compared to today where you see more "shiny" stories and distractions in the msm.. Watch the movie "All the President's Men."
Photographer
Click Hamilton
Posts: 36555
San Diego, California, US
Let There Be Light wrote:
Nixon's Republicanism isn't why he wasn't popular with the press. It was because he was running a criminal enterprise out of the White House that started long before Watergate. I SOOOOO wish I could respond to this.
My fingers are tingling.
Photographer
Lightcraft Studio
Posts: 13682
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
AdelaideJohn1967 wrote:
I'm wondering because if it was reporters it seems like one of the few really big stories that have been uncovered by news reporters. I mean compared to today where you see more "shiny" stories and distractions in the msm.. The media doesn't uncover real news any more, they simply play politics these days and cheer-lead for their "side".
A friend of mine (she's very old now) worked for Nixon as a typist/aide. She tells a story about a big report on the FDA she compiled in preparation for Congressional hearings... the night before the hearings, someone broke into her safe. The next day in the hearings, the Dems somehow had all the data that was in those reports.
Both sides where doing sneaky things against each other... it was SOP.
Photographer
jimmi L
Posts: 557
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, US
Chris Photography wrote:
Watch the movie "All the President's Men." +1
One of the best movies about journalism, ever.
Photographer
Solas
Posts: 10390
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
A Visual Haiku wrote:
+1
One of the best movies about journalism, ever.
ooo i liked that one
Photographer
Bureau Form Guild
Posts: 1244
Scranton, Pennsylvania, US
When I hear excerpts from tapes inside the Oval Office, they bring a chill up my spine.
Photographer
Lightcraft Studio
Posts: 13682
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Antediluvian Design wrote:
When I hear excerpts from tapes inside the Oval Office, they bring a chill up my spine. Those were extremely tame compared with today's goings on... using the IRS, NSA, EPA, etc. for blatant political dirty tricks... and all the other stuff/coverups (Benghazi, Fast and Furious, selective prosecutions by the Justice Department, and so on). Of course now that these new precedents have been established, payback will be a bitch when future office holders will be able to do the same things.... should get interesting.
Photographer
American Glamour
Posts: 38813
Detroit, Michigan, US
Let There Be Light wrote:
Nixon's Republicanism isn't why he wasn't popular with the press. It was because he was running a criminal enterprise out of the White House that started long before Watergate. Click Hamilton wrote:
I SOOOOO wish I could respond to this.
My fingers are tingling. LOL, with the Soapbox gone, this is the proper response:
Click Hamilton wrote:
Photographer
Click Hamilton
Posts: 36555
San Diego, California, US
Click Hamilton wrote:
I SOOOOO wish I could respond to this.
My fingers are tingling. GPS Studio Services wrote:
LOL, with the Soapbox gone, this is the proper response: Click Hamilton wrote:
I know. Go ahead and throw a banana at me.
What can I say?
Photographer
Vivus Hussein Denuo
Posts: 64211
New York, New York, US
Jay Edwards wrote:
Hmm, both of those subjects are mentioned in the OP... The msm is mentioned, yes, but it is not the subject of the thread. And "government corruption" is not even mentioned. It is adverted to, but it, too, is not the subject of the thread.
The thread is about (a) who broke the Watergate story, reporters or a govt agency, and (b) if it was reporters, it seems to the OP that few big news stories are uncovered by reporters today.
If you discuss those issues respectfully, you need not fear being brigged. Of course, if you want to use this thread to discuss government corruption in general, or the msm in general...the brig awaits.
Back to the topic:
As others have said, it was reporters who broke the Watergate story, of course. Woodward and Bernstein worked hard to expose Watergate, and the subsequent cover-up. And it's mostly investigative reporters who break news stories today. It's true that today, some non-reporters have provided the raw data for major news stories: Pfc Bradley Manning, Julian Assange, and Edward Snowden. Still, none of us would know about these stories had not reporters investigated and published the leaks. E.g., the info from Edward Snowden about NSA spying was leaked to Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald, who "broke" the story to the public.
I don't see that news media today are any better or worse at breaking major news stories than they were during the Watergate era.
Photographer
jimmi L
Posts: 557
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, US
I should also say that, IMHO, "All the President's Men" should be followed up with "Dick." Smart script, funny movie.
Photographer
Let There Be Light
Posts: 7657
Los Angeles, California, US
A Visual Haiku wrote:
I should also say that, IMHO, "All the President's Men" should be followed up with "Dick."
Smart script, funny movie.
That would be a great double feature.
Photographer
Bureau Form Guild
Posts: 1244
Scranton, Pennsylvania, US
The dark part of Nixon was he was a paranoid and had a particular distain for the press and in large part the American public.
Photographer
Jay Edwards
Posts: 18616
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US
Vivus Hussein Denuo wrote:
The msm is mentioned, yes, but it is not the subject of the thread. And "government corruption" is not even mentioned. It is adverted to, but it, too, is not the subject of the thread.
The thread is about (a) who broke the Watergate story, reporters or a govt agency, and (b) if it was reporters, it seems to the OP that few big news stories are uncovered by reporters today.
If you discuss those issues respectfully, you need not fear being brigged. Of course, if you want to use this thread to discuss government corruption in general, or the msm in general...the brig awaits.
... Give it up.
The OP references ''Watergate'' which is an example of government corruption.
The OP references the actions of the ''msm'' which is the mainstream media.
sheesh
My comments about the MSM might be considered ''Soapboxy'' by some so I choose to refrain from specifics...in a respectful way.
In general, the MSM today is not doing a thorough job of investigating corruption (such as Watergate).
Photographer
Bob Helm Photography
Posts: 18909
Cherry Hill, New Jersey, US
Let There Be Light wrote:
Not sure if you need a calendar or a history lesson but the US has not had Democratic Presidents (ie, non Republicans) for 16 of the last 20 years. It's 12 of the last 20 then 12 years of Republicans before that. Nixon's Republicanism isn't why he wasn't popular with the press. It was because he was running a criminal enterprise out of the White House that started long before Watergate.
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012 … te-coverup YOur math is right, it just seems longer, much longer 
Photographer
Ralph Easy
Posts: 6426
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Watergate the office building is an ugly eyesore structure ready to be demolished for urban renewal. The location of Watergate is what is premium. Here is a photo I have taken standing right in front of it, facing the obelisk along Virginia Avenue in DC. ![https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/259253_219516511414085_650466_o.jpg]() Here's the coordinates of my position when I took the photo: 38.89960, -77.05476 (copy and paste the coordinates on Google Maps and enter Street View) .
Photographer
Lightcraft Studio
Posts: 13682
Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Antediluvian Design wrote:
The dark part of Nixon was he was a paranoid and had a particular distain for the press and in large part the American public. History has a way of repeating itself, huh?
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