Based on the true story, Alan J. Pakula’s 1976 film All the President’s Men follows reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as they unravel the truth about the Watergate scandal ultimately leading up to President Richard Nixon’s resignation.

Prior to the 1972 election, the Washington Post assigned Woodward and Bernstein to investigate a seemingly minor break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. During the investigation, they discover the burglary is a lot bigger than they thought. Risking their personal safety to investigate the scandal, the reporters employ the help of a mysterious source within Washington called Deep Throat as well as a team of editors and follow the trail all through the Republican Party and eventually to the White House. Their investigative reporting uncovered the full truth of the scandal and ultimately led to the resignation of President Nixon.

A common theme I am taking away from these movies about investigative reporting is the power journalism has to uncover the truth. Similar to Spotlight, which I saw just before this, All the President’s Men begins with reporters doing their job to report on a seemingly minor case and end up stumbling upon something large and complex. I never knew that a scandal as big as Watergate was uncovered simply by journalism and the basic tenants we learned about in class.

The movie was very well done with great acting and really highlighted the importance of journalism in society.