The Watergate Scandal - 1012 Words

The Watergate scandal during Richard Nixons presidency was arguably the high point of journalisms role in American politics. What had been considered a rather inept burglary attempt upon Democratic party offices in the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. and was therefore ignored by most journalists when it happened was investigated by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, until it was proven to be a criminal conspiracy whose organization and subsequent cover-up reached as high as the Oval Office. In terms of media coverage of the scandal, however, it is worth noting that while Woodward and Bernstein had access to a privileged source of information, whom they named only as Deep Throat (but much later revealed to be high-ranking FBI official W. Mark Felt), they were not the only reporters covering the scandal as it unfolded. By looking at other journalistic sources, it may be possible to get a larger view of how President Nixon dealt with the scandal, how public op inion and responded, and ultimately how Nixon was led to resign. The Watergate burglary occurred in June of 1972, since it was conducted as part of a strategic effort to undermine the Democratic Partys campaign to run against Nixon in the presidential election later that year. Nixon won the 1972 election in a landslide: any coverage of the scandal that occurred before November of 1972 was sufficiently unincriminating that it did not hamper his re-election campaign. Although hints that theShow MoreRelatedThe Watergate Scandal1543 Words   |  7 Pagestrustworthy – or so they thought. Unfortunately, shortly after Nixon was elected to his second term of presidency in 1972, the Watergate Scandal changed America forever by creating a sense of mistrust toward the government for the American people because of The Nixon Administration’s actions. It all began on Sunday, June 18, 1972 when Frank Wills, security guard at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., found a piece of tape that was preventing a door from locking. After removing the pieceRead MoreWatergate Of The Watergate Scandal1135 Words   |  5 PagesWatergate Scandal The Watergate Scandal happened almost 43 years ago; the event will never be forgotten. The Watergate scandal defined, perhaps for the first time, that a president of the United States could be portrayed as untrustworthy. Richard Nixon ran for a second term in 1972, in which he won by a huge margin. The Democratic Party had their headquarters at the high-end Watergate hotel. The break-in happened on June 17th, 1972, in which a security guard noticed the tape on the door lockRead MoreWatergate Scandal2036 Words   |  9 PagesThe Watergate Scandal Essay written by Unknown The Watergate Scandal was a series of crimes committed by the President and his staff, who were found to spied on and harassed political opponents, accepted illegal campaign contributions, and covered up their own misdeeds. On June 17, 1972, The Washington Post published a small story. In this story the reporters stated that five men had been arrested breaking into the headquarters of the Democratic National Com mittee. The headquarters was located inRead MoreThe Watergate Scandal2082 Words   |  9 PagesThe Watergate Scandal Richard Milhous Nixon was the thirty-seventh President of the United States of America from 1969 until 1974. Nixon completed his first term as President in 1973 and was re-elected for the position for the next four years. However, Nixon would have his time in the White House cut short by the series of events that occurred in the twenty-six months that followed the Watergate burglary. On June 17, 1972 five men, one White House employee and four Cubans, broke into the WatergateRead MoreScandal : The Watergate Scandal2408 Words   |  10 PagesKristine Holdorf March 16, 2015 English 122 Scandal Paper Final Draft The Watergate Scandal High-level political and governmental figures are often involved in influencing public policy as well as taking part in decision making. We look up to them and trust them to make our country a better place and protect us. Presidents, for instance, are very powerful leaders who enforce our nation’s laws and work very hard to keep our country safe. Presidents are often described as being courageous, dedicatedRead MoreWatergate Scandal790 Words   |  4 PagesIt was suggested that the President had tried to repair the damages that were caused the Watergate scandal in the first article. From a speech President Nixon had given, it showed that there were a lot things that still needed to be done regarding the scandal. The article stated that the officials under the Watergate scandal were cheating, lying and engaging in illegal activities while in high positions of the government. The people believed that the president did not stand up to the crisis andRead MoreThe Watergate Scandal1040 Words   |  4 PagesWatergate, the greatest scandal of the 20th century, remains a shrouded mystery. Early on the morning of June 17, 1972, there was a break-in and several burglars were arrested inside the office of the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters in the Watergate Office complex building located in Washington, D.C. Thus began a series of events that would shake the public’s confidence in its most visible symbol of American authority and prestige: the presidency of Richard Nixon. A seemingly randomRead MoreThe Watergate Scandal Essay811 Words   |  4 PagesThe Watergate Scandal The United States Justice System is founded on In its historical context, Watergate was not a surprising development when it is considered that Nixon was a paranoid personality capable of using any avenue to insure that his political objectives were attained. He had proved that early in his political career in his famous Checkers speech. By the early 70s however the nation had changed. It wasnt as easy to dupe the public with sappy speeches to explain away politicalRead MoreThe Watergate Scandal Essay2240 Words   |  9 PagesThe Watergate Scandal Sex, drugs, money, power, you name it and there is a scandal for it, but look back and you will see that from all the scandals there have been, Watergate was among the worst. The Watergate scandal had everything. From Nixon disgracing the presidency by lying to the country and abusing his power, to his committees being involved in illegal acts and a big cover up. All Read More The Watergate Scandal Essay1135 Words   |  5 PagesThe Watergate Scandal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Watergate Scandal involved a number of illegal activities that were designed to help President Richard Nixon win re-election. The scandal involved burglary, wiretapping, campaign financing violations, and the use of government agencies to harm political opponents. A major part of the scandal was also the cover-up of all these illegal actions. â€Å"Watergate, however, differed from most previous political scandals because personal greed apparently did not play an important