Freedom of the Press
While “All the President’s Men” may be about how the administration of President Nixon collapsed in the wake of a so-called “third-rate burglary,” the reality is that "all the president’s men" as well as the president himself are essentially just supporting characters in the story of how the press revealed a constitutional crisis and a White House scandal. The strategy of the Nixon administration directly targeted the reputation (even possibly the lives) of members of the media it deemed enemies. Two little-regarded reporters (who were much closer to being fired than they were to becoming legends) managed to play a major role in the first Presidential resignation in U.S. history. The story of Woodward and Bernstein became a high point of journalistic integrity and purpose; and in the decades since, the power of the press has been continually diluted by political pressure.
Whistle-Blowers as Unsung Heroes
For decades the identity of the mysterious source nicknamed Deep Throat was one of the favorite guessing games among the Washington, D.C. elite. Was he perhaps the number two adviser inside the Nixon Oval Office, John Ehrlichman? Was he the Smithers-like press secretary Ron Ziegler who had become fed up with Nixon’s public bullying and humiliation of him? After three decades, the secret was finally revealed: Mark Felt, the number two man inside the FBI, was Deep Throat. By risking his own position, reputation, and freedom, he did democracy a service without regard for personal gain.
Journalism is Hard
Neither Bob Woodward nor Carl Bernstein ever enjoyed the idealized world of the papers, with constant excitement and calls of “STOP THE PRESSES!” The bulk of the scenes that illuminate the process by which "Woodstein" covered Watergate show the pair making incessant phone calls and Bernstein facing interminably long waiting periods just to engage in five-minute-long conversations. The actors who took on the roles of the reporters and their editors got to enjoy the glamour; the real-life staff did the grunt work with the full knowledge that their own reputations were on the line. The reporters had to rely on their toughness of character to stick with their gut feeling and do endless, thankless grunt work, when even some of their own bosses were wondering why they should still bother.
When the President Does It...It's STILL Illegal
Amid the cynical view of politicians today, it may be difficult to grasp that the President really was considered above suspicion for more than a year following the Watergate break-in. Richard Nixon was riding a wave of unprecedented popularity to the single greatest landslide in presidential election history (all but one state voted for Nixon in the electoral college). The press was viewed as the enemy, troublemakers intent on bringing down the President. Ultimately, the full extent of the criminal behavior of the President of the United States was revealed—despite his insistence that when the President does it, it is by definition not illegal. Sadly perhaps, “All the President’s Men” did play an essential role in creating the cynicism toward politicians.
Perseverance
Woodward and Bernstein encounter many obstacles in their journey to breaking the Watergate story, initially from their own newspaper The Washington Post, then danger from the White House, and then fear of damaging their own reputations. Ultimately, both reporters are scrappy enough to chase down their stories, but the process was arduous and fraught with potential pitfalls. They both had doors slammed in their faces, Bernstein had to force his way into Dadis's office, and they had to push coworkers to use their personal connections to find more evidence on a path that was anything but clear.
Justice Will Prevail
The premise of the film is that justice cannot be denied and that a free press is vital in securing open information. Ultimately, the stories published by Woodward and Bernstein led to the appointment of a special prosecutor and the trials of almost every CREEP employee revealed by the Washington Post. No matter which party is in power, the laws apply to everyone in the United States. The process was aided by the journalists, but ultimately they simply provided information for the legal system to use to carry out justice.
Corruption
Corruption and deceit are rampant in this film, although on the surface it seemed as if the Nixon administration was unstoppable. The largest vehicle for corruption is the Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) which Woodward and Bernstein learn is an organization for money laundering. The secret slush fund is found to be used for criminal activities, such as burglaries and paying people to sabotage Democrats.The realization that there is a link between CREEP's criminal activities and the White House is ultimately the scandal that brings down the administration.
