by Moravian College campus was swarming with people the night of a guest lecturer on the
24 th of October, all waiting with bated breath to be in the same room as Carl Bernstein.
Watergate reporter, novel writer, and nationwide speaker, Bernstein had a lot to talk about to the
sold-out gymnasium. Instead of talking about the past, he spoke of the present, and more
importantly, about the future.
Saying “the press exists for the public good,” Bernstein spent the entirety of the speech
discussing the press currently, the president and social media, and how the press’ role in society
is to give the “best, attainable version of the truth.”
In his 57 years of journalism, he has seen a drastic decline in giving the truth, saying that
newspapers do not concern themselves with it anymore, making them “illusionary and
disfigured.”
To him, the job of the press is to report, not to bring down a president because that is the
people’s job. Bernstein called Trump’s term thus far a “malignant presidency,” saying it was not
his opinion, but the fact based off past presidents.
CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post have all been called “fake news” by the
president and his supporters, but Bernstein believes that they have done their best at reporting on
the president. Trump has been unable to hide his lies and keep the truth away from prying eyes,
and Bernstein stated that those news outlets are doing a fantastic job.
Newswriting: Rough Draft Tags: Journalism, Carl Bernstein, Lecture
Regarding this presidency, Bernstein made sure the crowd knew that “this is not fake news. It’s
real news, [and] it’s dangerous. This is [deadlier] than Watergate.” Trump has no default of truth,
according to Bernstein, and has no problem with the constant lying.
Trump calls the press “the enemy of the people” when the press drags him for what he is doing
wrong and for seeking the truth.
Referencing the famous line from “All the President’s Men,” Bernstein stressed, “Yes,
follow the money, but follow the lies too.”
Bernstein also touched on the information that had just came out saying that the DNC and
the Clinton Campaign were the ones financing the infamous dossier against Trump. He
questioned why the Clinton Campaign did not expose the information sooner.
When the floor was opened for questions, Bernstein gave some insightful advice when
asked about what young journalists should do to get “their foot in the door.” He started with
saying that journalists tend to not be good listeners, so start with listening and respecting the
people.
“Most stories are not black and white,” he said, and he hopes that up-and- coming
journalists will learn that by listening.
He also commented on society and his answer was not one that the crowd seemed to have
expected. Bernstein believes that the country is at a cold civil war, one that has been brewing for
close to 35 years.
There is a lot blame to be had, he said, saying that not one particular issue, such as racism or
sexism, were fully the cause. He sadly “is not optimistic about where [the country] is going.”
