By Andy Brack
If you’re looking for a refresher about what reporting is supposed to be, you should watch the movie, “All the President’s Men,” which portrayed the Watergate scandal that brought down a president.
“It’s a primer on reporting,” legendary investigative reporter Carl Bernstein, portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the movie, said during a Feb. 26 talk at the College of Charleston. It was kind of surprising advice because he recommended a movie as a teaching tool to remind Americans what the media does. But then again, movies are mass media tools that can make complex information more digestible, so maybe it wasn’t too surprising.
Bernstein reminded the audience of 500 about how good reporters strive to tell the “best obtainable version of the truth,” based on the information on hand at the time. As more information becomes available, the story may twist in a new direction or reveal new layers – kind of like peeling an onion to get to the middle.
What’s worrying these days, he said, is how the whole concept of truth on which American democracy is based is suffering, in part because of the perpetuation of the notion of “alternative facts” that conservatives launched. Another description of alternative facts” simply is, “lie,” not truth.
“Now, the whole idea of the best obtainable version of the truth is getting erased – by social media and by a president who has no interest in the truth,” Bernstein said.
Nevertheless, the pervasiveness of media outlets through traditional press and today’s quality online journalism led Bernstein to note, “The reporting on the Trump era has been great in many regards by many organizations.”
In other words, the information about what’s happening is out there, but it may be hard for many to find. And some just don’t want to believe it because they’re in their own polarized bubble.
These are the kind of things that journalism is struggling with. So what to do? Keep doing the kinds of things that work by asking questions, knocking on doors, tracking down leads and trying to find out what’s really going on. Relying on press releases and unchecked statements are not paths to truth.
“Our job is to make truth available and knock on those doors,” Bernstein said.
Part of what’s hindering the quest for and understanding of truth, in part, is that Americans tend to have a poor knowledge of government, how it works and history, particularly involving other countries.
“Our knowledge of what goes on in the world between people and nations is really parochial,” Bernstein said. “Not enough people in this country know history.”
[Side observation: Do you think you could answer six out of 10 civics questions on U.S. citizenship test required for immigrants who want to become naturalized citizens? You might be surprised that you may not be able to.]
More than 50 years ago when Bernstein and colleague Bob Woodward knocked on doors, relied on frightened anonymous sources and dug into records, people tended to trust government. Back then, the system worked.
“The press did its job. Investigators did their job. The second special counsel did his job. The Senate Watergate hearings were probably the greatest congressional investigation in history,” Bernstein said. Additionally, the Supreme Court did its job in a unanimous decision that said President Richard Nixon did not have an absolute privilege to withhold information, such as audiotapes about the scandal.
These days? The country’s foundational institutions – the press, the courts, Congress, the rule of law – are under attack by idealogues defending Trump and who are putting party over country and democratic ideals.
The assault on truth with the intentional spread of false information, the grandstanding, the bots that promote disinformation and leaders who flat-out lie without compunction is chilling. Good reporting seeks to cut through that.
“What is happening now has never happened in our history,” Bernstein said. “We’re somewhere we’ve never been.”
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of the Charleston City Paper and Statehouse Report. Have a comment? Send it to feedback@statehousereport.com.
