Washington Semester students filled Kay Spiritual Life Center Wednesday afternoon as well-known author and investigative journalist Bob Woodward spoke about his relationship with President Bush, the War in Iraq and the current political climate.
Being a reporter is the best job in the world, he said,
"It's great because you get to make momentary entries into people's lives," Woodward said.
Woodward, who is best known for uncovering details of the Watergate scandal with fellow Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein in 1972, has also written or co-authored 15 non-fiction books about the inner-workings of D.C. institutions, including the Supreme Court and the CIA.
John Orofino, a senior in the Washington Semester's journalism program, said he thinks Woodward is a pioneer.
"Amongst our journalism class, we talk about him every day," he said. "We talk about his integrity and the steps he's made in journalism that have paved the road for everyone. If you ask anyone that ever has a dream of journalism, that dream came from Woodward and Bernstein."
Woodward has also been noted for his extensive interviews with Bush. He has spent more time with him than any other journalist, according to his 2006 book "State of Denial."
Woodward made several Bush jokes while he discussed his many meetings with the president. He said one of the reasons why Bush's approval ratings are so low is because he has lost his moral authority and has delegated all of his power away to appointees. Nevertheless, Woodward also said Bush was an honest man who genuinely believed it was America's responsibility to intervene in Iraq.
"When you are interviewing a president, you need to find the main reason for what's driving him," he said. "Bush really believed that it was his duty to free and liberate the people of Iraq."
Woodward also highlighted the differences between the journalism climate is now from when he started out as a reporter in the early 1970s, especially because of the role of the Internet in the field, which he said promotes impatience and speed.
"Back when Carl Bernstein and I were working on Watergate, we could have a week or two to work on a story," he said. "Now if it looks like you have a lead on a story, someone will ask you if you can get it on the Web site by noon. The hydraulics in the news system make it more difficult for people to spend time on stories and to get the problem and find the answer."
Woodward also stressed the issue of the necessity of transparency in government, and said the biggest problem young journalists are going to face is secret government.
"Now it's harder to find out what's really going on [in government]," he said. "Lots of things are classified, and you have to break through that barrier."
David Armstrong, a journalism professor for the Washington Semester Program who coordinated the event, said Woodward is a good example of the hard work and dedication that news reporting requires.
"There are many, many stories out there to be covered and it is a matter of being willing to put in the hours and hard work to do in the stories," he said. "It's much more in the stories," he said. "It's much more difficult these days to find the kinds of organizations to get behind this kind of reporting [like Woodward's]. It's hard, it's long term, it's expensive, but it's important enough that it should be done."
Jennifer Sawicz, a senior in the Washington Semester American politics program, said she thought Woodward was very candid and real, especially for someone who has been famous for so long.
"I think that anyone who has enough courage to go after a story and speak truth to power I have a lot of respect for, she said. "So much of journalism today is either sensationalized or depressing, and something that's really worth getting at is always hard to get, and so I admire people who have the courage to do that."
Woodward is currently The Post's assistant managing editor. His most recent book, "The War Within: A Secret White House History (2006-2008)," is his fourth centering on the Bush administration.
You can reach this staff writer at thallerman@theeagleonline.com.
