Twenty-First Century Perspective
The Watergate crisis (1972-1974) marks a fundamental breach in the confidence Americans had in the integrity of government officials and in the American political system. Added to the Vietnam War and the economic decline that began to erode people’s income during this period, the Watergate crisis destroyed whatever American idealism remained about the leaders of the nation (Packer, 2011). Throughout the crisis President Nixon had supporters like Dean Burch (1974), who pointed out Nixon’s achievements as a leading statesman, but at the conclusion of the crisis when the taped conversations of the Oval Office were finally released, Americans were left with the realization that their president was capable of lying, and concealing information in order to obstruct justice.
While the overwhelming evidence clearly points to Nixon’s faults, Burch’s defense of President Nixon presents a more rounded balance of the individual as a statesman. These accomplishments, the author argues, should not be forgotten if Americans are to understand the legacy of the Nixon Presidency. Burch points to Nixon’s ending of the Viet Nam War, bringing prisoners from Southeast Asia, negotiating peace in the Middle East, and improving relations with the Soviet Union and China. Burch also suggests that Nixon’s actions must be seen in the context of the highest levels of decision-making in government, business, and industry and editorial offices; at these levels, tough and practical decision must be made even if they are not quite morally right.
Written a few months earlier, the Washington Post Editorial “Watergate: the Unfinished Business (1973) makes a stern judgement of President Nixon because it demonstrates how the President provided as little information as he possibly could to the Watergate investigative parties.. He furnished additional details only as new evidence against his subordinates was uncovered. The editorial points out that while Nixon’s actions to cooperate with the investigations were commendable—accepting the resignation of two of his top White House aides, allowing the departure of Attorney General Kleindienst, and accepting ultimate responsibility for his subordinates’ activities, such internal housecleaning efforts were not enough. The editorial called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to handle the Watergate crisis; the President stopped short of making this move.
President Nixon acknowledged that the press and the courts had the power to uncover information that his collaborators had attempted to suppress. Indeed, henceforth, the press has become more aggressive, ready to uncover any misconduct or illegal acts major or minor politicians have committed in an effort to let the American people decide if they are worthy of holding public office. One only has to look at the Monica Lewinski affair which almost resulted in the impeachment of President Clinton to see the power that the press now has to ruin politicians’ careers and to make them accountable to the American people. There is no doubt that the Watergate crisis has given a great boost to investigative journalism. Television programs like “60 Minutes” have made extensive use of investigative journalism and members of the nonprofit organization Investigative Reporters and Editors have received regular training in investigative reporting techniques (Feldstein, 2004).
If smartphones and social media had existed at the time of the Watergate crisis, not only Americans but everyone around the globe would have found out early about the events; their social network accounts would have been inundated with constant updates on the crisis. This news distribution mode would have placed enormous pressure on the President to resign much earlier than he did. On the other hand, Americans would not have necessarily understood the crisis better or its implications. They would have seen lots of snatches of information along with personal opinion in their Tweeter, Facebook accounts and other social media. Some readers might have failed to distinguish between facts and opinion, and they would not have necessarily been better informed because they would have lacked the analytical and in-depth analysis presented by traditional media.
Journalists in the twenty-first century are more concerned with getting the news out to the various social media without waiting for newspapers to be printed. To the readers unaccustomed to examine traditional media such as newspapers and extended television programs, headlines may become meaningless without the proper background necessary to understand so many of the events that are unfolding before our eyes.
References
Burch, Dean. (1974, May 14). In Defense of Richard Nixon. The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved from http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1974/5/14/in-defense-of-richard-nixon-pithe/?page=1
Feldstein, Mark. (2004, August/September). Watergate Revisited. American Journalism Review. Retrieved from http://ajrarchive.org/Article.asp?id=3735
Packer, George. (November/December, 2011). The Broken Contract Inequality and American Decline. Foreign Affairs, 90 (6). Retrieved from
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-5- JeCa2Z7hNjgwOTFkMjctYTc0Ni00MDc4LWI1ODktMGRkYzU4ZjMyNmE5/view
The Washington Post. (1973, May 1). Editorial: Watergate: The Unfinished Business. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/watergate/articles/050173-2.htm
