Woodward and Bernstein talk careers, Watergate
Former Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein - the journalists who broke the Watergate scandal in 1972 that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon - were in Raleigh Thursday evening for an event at the Fletcher Opera Theater.
Posted — UpdatedThey still recall that moment over coffee more than 40 years ago when the significance of their work started to sink in.
“I felt this literal chill go down my neck and I turned to Woodward and I said ‘this president is going to be impeached,’” Bernstein said. “And he turned to me and said ‘oh my god, you're right.’”
Prior to the event, sponsored by the N.C. Museum of History Foundation, the journalists sat down with WRAL to talk about their careers, including the movie they inspired, “All the President’s Men.”
“The movie basically got it right,” Woodward said. “In fact, they got some things more correct than we did.”
“We had a criminal president of the United States whose presidency was an ongoing criminal conspiracy,” Bernstein added.
Both men gave credit to former U.S. Senator Sam Ervin, D-NC, who led the Watergate hearings.
“This isn’t about corruption,” Woodward said. “This is an attack and a subversion of the constitution.”
The pair also noted what has remained the same in politics, and what has changed in journalism.
“We still have a money in politics problem,” Woodward said.
“Now, the determination of what is news is being overwhelmed by what once would have been non-news,” Bernstein said.
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