April 30, 1973

The day President Nixon stared into the camera America, and said, "political campaigns, must not again fall into the trap of letting the end, however great that end is, justify the means."

On June 17, 1972, word broke that the Democratic National Headquarters Office located in the Watergate Building was a crime scene. It was the second time, G. Gordon Liddy and his merry band of criminals broke into the office space. The President was in Florida at the home of Bebe, long considered to be Richard Nixon’s closest confidant, when the criminals were arrested.

“Six things you didn’t know about Watergate” (George Washington University, National Security Archives) based on King Richard: An American Tragedy by Michael Dobbs

The break-in itself seemed so amateurish that what little coverage it garnered disappeared in the next news cycle. Except for two young Washington Post reporters. Something gnawed at them. Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward wondered about the men who wore gloves, traveled from Miami, and were found to be carrying thousands of dollars in cash. To them, the break-in seemed too professional to be so amateurish.

By August, Woodward and Bernstein were reporting that President Nixon’s re-election campaign cash funded the break-in. Still, the majority of Americans just didn’t think it was any big deal. In fact, 53% of Americans viewed it as “just politics” and 68% said it would have “no impact” on their vote.

Senator and Presidential Democratic nominee, George McGovern grew increasingly frustrated by the media’s disinterest. He believed that if the media reported the facts, the American people would come to understand the severity of the situation. On October 2, 1972 - about two weeks after the FBI confirmed that former Attorney General John Mitchell was behind the cash payments to the men - during remarks to the members of the United Press International, the 1972 Democratic nominee for President told the room of journalists - “Someday this moment that seems so real to us will exist only in memory and in history. How will we look a generation from now?”

“Will our grandchildren read that these were the years of scandal - and no one cared; that these were the years of lost ideals - and no one cared; that these were the years of corruption of America - and our answer was not outrage but four more years?”

Senator George McGovern, October 2, 1972

The answer, he warned, “is up to us - all of us - the people, the candidates, and the press.” I suspect the group of editors would have countered with, “if the American people cared about Watergate, we’d write about Watergate.” Eight days later, the FBI announced their investigation into additional spying efforts authorized by the Nixon team.

Nixon denied, avoided and delayed. Nixon was allowed to deny, avoid and delay. Prompting McGovern to urge the media to push harder. Demand more for the American public.

“When a candidate issues press releases but holds no press conferences, it is up to reporters to inform the country that he is hiding. When a candidate tells lies to a hand-picked crowd, it is up to reporters to tell the country the truth. And when a candidate will not give answers, it is up to the reporters to keep asking questions - or to keep reminding people of what they would ask if the candidate would come within shouting distance.”

Senator George McGovern, October 2, 1972

As the five men marched into the courtroom to plead their case, those “no big deal” poll numbers started to change. Finally, in April, Nixon was forced to come out of hiding. As he did in his “Checkers” speech, he tried to reassure the public that he was just as aghast as they were and that he too was a victim of trusting the morality of those around him. He both took responsibility and abdicated responsibility. It was spin. But America didn’t know that until later that summer when Nixon was court-ordered to release his secret recordings of White House conversations.

We must maintain the integrity of the White House, and that integrity must be real, not transparent. There can be no whitewash at the White House.

- President Richard Nixon

The quintessential question of Watergate remains; what is the journalist’s responsibility in educating the public? David Greenberg, Nixon's Shadow, concludes that - if not for the resources afforded to Woodward and Bernstein by the Washington Post - no one can say for sure if “the FBI would pursue crimes beyond the break-in itself. If the Post hadn't kept Watergate alive, it's not certain that the bureau, or the Senate, would have kept digging. Woodward and Bernstein's work shaped the way Watergate unfolded."

We are along way from the early days of color television and Sunday papers. But the 24-hour news cycle and direct-to-consumer news hasn’t changed the need for public government oversight. That can only happen when journalists are given the resources they need, politicians aren’t allowed to hide from tough questions and American citizens stop shrugging off questionable words and deeds as “just politics.”