All The President's Men By Carl Bernstein And Bob Woodward

Okay, let's talk about All the President's Men. The book. The movie. The whole shebang.

Full disclosure: I have some feelings about it. Maybe some unpopular feelings.

Did Woodward and Bernstein Actually Change the World?

Look, I get it. Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein are journalism heroes. They took down a president! With a pen!

It's a great story. No question. But...did they really do it all on their own?

Don't @ me! Hear me out.

The book makes it seem like they were these lone wolves. Sniffing out clues, bravely facing down shadowy figures.

But let's be real. They had deep throat. And not the kind you find at the doctor's office.

Okay, bad joke. Sorry. Deep Throat (aka Mark Felt) fed them information. A lot of information.

Couldn’t other journalists have taken that info and ran with it too?

The book is so dramatic. Every phone call is a life-or-death situation. Every meeting is a clandestine affair.

I mean, come on. It's reporting. Not a James Bond movie.

I'm not saying it wasn't important. I am saying… maybe they embellished a little?

Now, Watergate was a big deal. No denying that. Nixon resigned. History was made.

But did All the President's Men create a generation of journalists obsessed with uncovering the next Watergate?

Maybe. And maybe that's not always a good thing.

Okay, here it is. My unpopular opinion:

All the President's Men is a great story, but it's also a bit overhyped.

There! I said it!

Woodward and Bernstein did important work. They were dedicated reporters. I'm not knocking that.

But the mythology surrounding them? The idea that they single-handedly brought down a president? I think it's a bit much.

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I'm a cynical Gen Xer who's seen too many Hollywood dramas.

Or maybe, just maybe, we need to take a closer look at the stories we tell ourselves about power and journalism.

What do you think?

Don't yell at me too much. I'm just asking questions!

And also, please be kind. We are all just trying to survive.

Unless you're a corrupt politician. Then... maybe not so kind.