Commentary

On the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Watergate break-in, Bob Woodward noted, “The central dilemma of journalism is that you don’t know what you don’t know.” Uncertainty is at the heart of investigative reporting because it involves original research about a topic that someone may be trying to keep secret. The upside for society is that accountability reporting, though often hard to support via the marketplace, can change lives and laws when wrongdoing is revealed. For five decades Watergate has inspired reporters to probe how public and private institutions operate, to pierce the veil of hidden actions and hidden information, and expose what happens when delegated powers are abused. Revisiting the Watergate era is a chance to remember how reporters willing to make calls, knock on doors, and track down documents can hold even the highest officials accountable.

– James T. Hamilton

James T. Hamilton is the Hearst Professor of Communication, Chair of the Department of Communication, and Director of the Stanford Journalism Program