All The President's Men

It's easy to criticize media. Some criticize it for being a corporation, where the real concern is about the bottom line. Others place the blame on reporters: issues of bias, just working for a paycheck, and lack of overall social concern hear much lip service.

It is in this light that I would like to discuss - no, praise - All the President's Men, for not only reminding us just how incredibly difficult it can be to write a story, of how morally tough it can be to publish a story regardless of one's patriotism, but also, for reminding us how money can be an incredibly attractive incentive.

After all, the reporters who got the ball rolling weren't doing it for the public good. In the beginning, Woodward and Bernstein had no idea what they were on to - they were just your average reporters, sitting at a desk, working on another story. But when there was hesitation to publish the story - when the leads got tough and dead ends seemed insurmountable - when the work and amount of hours put into a story seemed entirely unworth it - what kept the reporters going?

It was the hunch that they were onto something. It was knowing that if they were right, they would have a future career completely carved out for them. It was the very nature of media being a business that was about profit that made it work. The promise of future gains provided a large incentive not just for the reporters, but for the editors and publishers to risk their personal reputation, their jobs, and the reputation of an entire newspaper in printing a story that was based on a hunch. Like any employee, some work harder for the money than others, and for some, it really pays off.

Sometimes it's nice to have a reminder that amidst much criticism, there is a reason for why things are done the way they are.