Carl Bernstein Interview: On Ben Bradlee & The Legendary Newsroom

Reporter Carl Bernstein describes the draw of the newsroom, the importance of finding “the best obtainable version of the truth” in journalism, and why Ben Bradlee was the perfect extension of that ethic, ethos and belief. Bernstein discusses his working relationship with Bob Woodward starting off contentious, but how they quickly developed enormous respect for the abilities of the other as the Watergate story unfolded.

Carl Milton Bernstein is an investigative journalist who was born in Washington, DC on February 14, 1944. He began his journalism career at age 16 as a copy boy for the Washington Star, becoming a reporter at 19. In 1972 he teamed up with journalist Bob Woodward at The Washington Post and the two did much of the original news reporting on the Watergate scandal which led to numerous government investigations and the eventual resignation of President Richard Nixon. Bernstein’s first book with Woodward about their reporting of Watergate, All the President’s Men, became a #1 national bestseller before Nixon resigned in 1974. The 1976 movie version of All the President’s Men became an instant classic, with Robert Redford starring as Woodward and Dustin Hoffman as Bernstein. He went on to author several best-selling books, including The Final Days (1976), about the denouement of the Nixon presidency (also co-authored by Woodward), a memoir of his family’s experience in the McCarthy era, entitled Loyalties: A Son’s Memoir (1989); he was the co-author of the definitive papal biography, His Holiness: John Paul II and the History of Our Time (1996), which detailed the Pope’s pivotal and often clandestine role in the fall of communism. He also authored the national bestseller, A Woman In Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton (2007). In addition, Bernstein is an on-air political analyst for CNN and a contributing editor of Vanity Fair magazine.

From the HBO / Kunhardt Film Foundation (KFF) Documentary “The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee,” about one of America's most influential and celebrated newspaper editors, who found himself at the center of many of the 20th Century's most seismic storms, including: World War II, John F. Kennedy, Watergate and the fall of Richard Nixon.

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Carl Bernstein, Journalist, The Washington Post
Interviewed By: John Maggio
Interview Date: February 15, 2017

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:11 Getting into journalism
01:04 The newsroom
01:57 The Washington Star
05:29 Uncovering the truth
06:32 Starting at The Washington Post
07:25 Ben Bradlee’s appointment to the Post
08:02 First impressions of Ben Bradlee
14:26 Ben Bradlee’s intimidating presence
15:40 Ben Bradlee’s persona
19:29 Ben Bradlee’s friendship with JFK
21:51 Ben Bradlee’s intuition
22:58 The Post newsroom
28:26 The Vietnam anti-war movement
33:34 Ben Bradlee and the New Left
36:16 The Post’s coverage of the race riots
40:14 The bond between Ben Bradlee and JFK
42:12 Maintaining a professional distance from sources
44:50 Ben Bradlee at Newsweek
47:33 Establishing a relationship with sources
51:52 Trusting your gut
53:20 JFK’s personal life
54:49 Ben Bradlee transforming the Post
01:00:26 The Pentagon Papers
01:04:36 The Watergate break-in
01:07:23 First impressions of Bob Woodward
01:14:58 Uncovering the Watergate scandal
01:27:26 Attacks on the press during Watergate
01:31:32 Ben Bradlee backing the Watergate story
01:40:36 All the President’s Men
01:42:23 Watergate and Nixon’s downfall
01:46:34 Watergate’s lasting impact
01:50:45 Leaving the Post
01:51:27 President Nixon
01:57:29 Ben Bradlee’s legacy
02:03:17 Luck

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