Thirty years after uncovering the Watergate scandal that brought down the Nixon administration, renowned journalist Bob Woodward told a crowd of Penn students last night that he thinks there are still lessons to be learned from the scandal.
Referring to the more than 4,000 hours of taped conversations revealed from the Nixon era, Woodward said the former president's ideas about integrity and the role of the presidency were highly skewed.
"What Nixon never says is, 'What would be right, what would be good for the country?'" Woodward said. "He said, 'How do we screw so-and-so?' The presidency was an instrument."
Woodward was introduced by Provost Robert Barchi to a near-capacity crowd at 7:30 p.m. last night at Irvine Auditorium.
Barchi termed Woodward as "one of the most respected reporters in the business" and urged audience members to "keep this important issue [of integrity] at the forefront of our thoughts."
Woodward began his remarks by relaying a story about his personal hero.
"When I think about integrity, the first person who comes to my mind is Katherine Graham -- what she meant to journalism, and what she meant to me," Woodward said.
Woodward shared a memory of a conversation with Graham, the former publisher of The Washington Post, when she once asked him when the Watergate scandal would be fully uncovered. He answered, "Never."
"She said, 'Don't tell me never,'" Woodward said. "I remember leaving that lunch with adrenaline running. What she told me is... work on it, dig, go back... whatever you have to do, get to the bottom of this story, any story. To me, that's the most important part of integrity. Not just covering the surface. How do we really get to the bottom?"
In an interview after the speech, Woodward said, "That's it, that's the motto -- don't tell me never."
Moving into a more casual mode, Woodward took an informal poll of the crowd's opinions on several topics in the midst of his speech -- including the legitimacy of former President Bill Clinton's impeachment and the support for waging war in Iraq, as well as the number of students who voted for President Bush, Al Gore or Ralph Nader in the 2000 presidential election.
The reporter continued his poll by asking Barchi to define the role of the presidency.
Barchi's reply, "to be the intellectual and moral representative of the people," was somewhat different from Woodward's.
Woodward said he thought the president should "define the next stage of good for the majority of people in the country."
And while Woodward still grapples with the issues involving the presidency today, Nixon's past presidency continues to have an effect on his outlook.
Woodward told the audience that the single misrepresentation in the cinematic adaptation of the Watergate book All The President's Men, which he co-authored with fellow reporter Carl Bernstein, is a line where Post Editor Ben Bradlee tells him to get the story right for the future of the nation.
"He actually said 'What the hell do we do now?'" Woodward said. "And it should be etched above... every institution. It is exactly the right question to ask. Too often leaders try to apply old ideas and old morals. What they have to do is say 'this is totally new,' and to a certain extent start from scratch."
When an audience member questioned Woodward about the identity of his famous source, Deep Throat, Woodward responded vaguely.
"It's a man, he's alive," Woodward said. "The story will be told at one time. It's a fascinating story. It's obvious if you know the answer, but not obvious if you don't."
University Honor Council Co-Chairman Dennis Tupper said he was very pleased with the outcome of the event.
"The best part of tonight is that it was a casual conversation, not a lecture," Tupper said. "He is someone who has learned the value of integrity in a practical way."
The talk was sponsored by the Provost's Spotlight Series, the Social Planning and Events Committee's Connaissance branch and the UHC as a part of Penn's third-annual Academic Integrity Week.
