The Watergate scandal in the early 1970’s was one of the worst political scandals in American history; not just because of the Nixon administration’s dirty tricks and phone tapping, but also because of their extensive and humiliating attempts to cover it up. Nixon’s refusal to present evidence to the federal investigators also violated the Constitution of the United States and led to an impeachment process against the president. The investigation uncovered a number of abuses of power committed by President Nixon and members of his administration including some of his top officials. Although Nixon resigned before he could be impeached, his mistakes and continuous efforts to cover them up created a great distrust in government among the American public.
The media also played an essential role in the uncovering of this scandal. Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein were the first people to discover that the break-ins at the DNC were connected to the White House. They were receiving information from an anonymous source who was later revealed to be Mark Felt, the director of the FBI at the time. This information and their ability to distribute it to the American public brought a great deal of attention to the break-ins that were previously brushed under the rug. This media attention is what sparked the federal investigation into the break-ins.
The book Watergate: A Novel by Thomas Mallon gives an accurate representation of the scandal and Nixon’s many attempts to cover it up. In this novel, Mallon adds some fictional characters and storylines to the reality of the scandal. He does this in order scandal to show that the president and high-up officials are only human. He wanted to show that they were only men and that they too could make mistakes, but at a much higher cost than most Americans. Mallon’s presentation of the Watergate scandal shows how vulnerable our government can be with the wrong people in power. He shows that even these highly intelligent government officials can get caught up in preserving their own personal well-being instead of trying to do what’s best for their country.
Describing the Nixon administration’s cover-up attempts as embarrassing is putting it lightly. They were absurd, ineffective and reflect the darkest aspects of American society. The simple fact that a man as corrupt as Nixon was able to be elected, and reelected to the most prestigious position in American politics is shameful. A disturbing thought that I had while reading Watergate was that this could simply be the only time that a scandal at this level of American politics was uncovered.
I agree. I think that this scandal marked a dark period in American history. It is scary to think that the president of the United States can commit such corrupt actions. As a result it makes you think how many other scandals have occurred without being uncovered by the media…
I think things like this are not uncommon in politics, and most times they are probably covered up well, as not every single time there would be a John Dean to come out and confess everything. I dont really know a lot about John Dean, how would you guys describe him??
In regards to discussing the part of media coverage on the outcome of the scandal its interesting to think about scandals that weren’t uncovered with not enough media and scandals that may never be possible with too much of a media presence. I think this clearly shows how freedom and justice can be preserved through the oversight of media and the public.
I like how you say that Mallon is showing that these high ranking officials are only men. I feel that we do perceive these officials as more than men because of the power that they have. Mallon does a great job at showing they are just like the rest of us, and as you say, their mistakes come at a higher cost.