When the identity of one robber was discovered to have a connection to President Nixon, this should have catapulted every newspaper into covering this potential bombshell. It did, but only after Woodward and Bernstein broke the story. In their own way, they worked well together.
Woodward was the detail person, and Bernstein figured out which aspects of the story should be followed up. Should ten people talk to them, he knew which three deserved to be the focus of an article the next day.
Were Woodward and Bernstein responsible for Nixon's resignation and national attention to a political mess, or did the FBI investigation bring Nixon down? Shepard clarifies the public controversy about this issue.
Off the journalism beat, the personal lives of these men was a rocky road. Despite both leaping to celebrity, a romantic relationship derailed more than once. Shepard suggests Woodward's sole focus on work was the biggest factor for him. For Bernstein, it seemed to be the tendency to party hard. The movie Heartburn was loosely based on his marriage to a well-known female director.
Woodward and Bernstein is a fascinating book. For someone like me, not yet in grade school when Nixon resigned, it offers a glimpse into why journalism is so critical in the world today. Woodward is well-known for his numerous books, but Bernstein's later work should not be discounted, either. Shepard has done a good job in relating a different side of this huge event in the political history of our country.
Article comments
1 - LB
I enjoy your CSI: New York reviews and thought I would check out this book review. I am very interested in Watergate and the Woodward-Bernstein team. Your review makes me more curious about this book and its contents. Nice review.