The Faces of Journalism: Watergate

Afair vs Rupert Murdochs Case

Serban Oana
SPE 1
Seran !ana
"ear: #
Section: S$%
Watergate Afair vs& Rupert
Murdochs Case
Journalism, throughout the years has shown itself with different standings and following, in
certain cases, quite opposite interests. These positions are very well shaped in the comparison
between the Watergate affair and Rupert Murdochs case, and even though the scandals are set
far apart in time from each other they hold at the core the same subect ! a breach in the privacy
of people "politicians, public figures, ournalists, editors and everyone in between#, a lac$ of
morality and care for ones private life. % common, distinct characteristic of the two would be the
abuse of power used to obtain information.
&n each scandal, the ournalists too$ a different standing, both Watergate and Murdochs case
implying illegal activities such as recording, taping, hac$ing, burglary, yet having poles apart at
'Who was the victim( part.
Richard )i*on was an important public figure with a long relationship with the press and
public, stretching for more than +, years, starting from -./0, when his first election too$ place
and until his death in -../. Much of his energy was focused on manipulating the press and
controlling the news cycles, proving to be quite successful in his first term of presidency. &n
order to have an detailed overview of his control and support, he and his staff developed a list
containing the names of over ten thousand ournalists, editors, television ma$ers, in general
people who could be counted on to carry to the public )i*ons view, statements in a favorable
light.
%round the year -.0., The Times published an article concerning a bombing that too$ place
in 1ambodia. The 2resident started to believe that damaging information had started to lea$ from
inside and too$ action against the newspaper. The Times stated that the information had not been
obtained through a lea$ source, but that the 'story was based on an on3site report from a 4ritish
'
Seran !ana
"ear: #
Section: S$%
corresponded in 1ambodia
-
(. %s a consequence of the 5ietnam War and that it implied ! a high
number of casualties and growing public despair ! )i*ons distrust grew significantly. 6is
%ttorney 7eneral, John Mitchell spo$e of )i*ons variety of illegal and unethical actions ta$en
during his first term and referred to them as the 'White 6ouse 6orrors(.
+
)i*on had started a
battle with enemies ! real and not ! caring little for the means through which he visited
punishment upon them.
&n -.8+, )i*on faced a badly fragmented 9emocratic 2arty which eased the winning of the
electoral campaign, losing only the 9istrict of 1olumbia and Massachuttes. The brea$3in in itself
did not start the Watergate case, but it made the wrongness of )i*ons and his staffs actions. %n
impeachment was as$ed, ma$ing )i*on the first 2resident of the :.;. to leave the seat of
presidency through such a decision.
&n an attempt to regain his reputation, )i*on remained an important and active public figure,
appearing on television and being the subect of the press for a long time. 6e seemed to consider
himself a 'hands3on( leader
<
and presented himself as such in the following -/ months after the
Watergate burglary, yet his support started to slowly brea$ apart. %n adversial relationship
gradually developed between him and the three televisions, The )ew =or$ Times newspaper and
several columnists. 2aranoia too$ over )i*ons actions as he ordered the taping of 'four
newspapermen( along with other people whom he believed could pose a threat ! a total of -8
wiretaps were produced.
%fter having his focus on the long3planned burglaries of the 9emocratic 1ommittee and of
front3runner 7eorge Mc7overns office campaign, his interest shifted on finding the 1uban
9ossier rather than spying on his said 'enemies(. Through 6ershs statements, claiming that the
1.&.%. had gathered information on over ten thousand %merican citi>ens using wiretaps, the
public started to learn of )i*ons orders and illegal means used and of the 1.&.%. implication.
#
?lmsted, @athryn ;., Challenging the Secret Government, :niversity of )orth 1arolina 2ress,
p. -+
'
@utler, ;tanley, Watergate A brief history with document, ;econd Adition, Wiley34lac$well, p.+
c.(&ntroduction(.
(
@utler, ;tanley, Watergate A brief history with document, ;econd Adition, Wiley34lac$well,
p.-< c.'Man on Top(
(
Seran !ana
"ear: #
Section: S$%
?ne of the most influential divisions within the B4& during Watergate burglaries was 6oovers
public relations unit which started helping reporters, film and television producers, mainly
everyone from inside the press sphere to sculpt the image of the virtuous '73man(.
/
The two roles of the %merican columnists and ournalists ali$e ! obective observers and
watchdogs ! were not always compatible, as one strived to present the events that occurred from
a neutral point of view while the other role acted against )i*on and aimed to e*pose every detail
of his illegal brea$ings. 6ere, the %merican core in which 'the %merican press has always
viewed itself as performing an essential role in maintaining %merican democracy( can be
observed in full operation.
Murdochs case is somewhat the opposite of Watergate as the main victims are people from
the public ranging from politicians to football players. &n Murdochs scandal we see a new face
of ournalism, a face worn by )i*on and his men in Watergate, trying to control and manipulate
the people by gaining details of ones life through means not necessarily legal or moral for that
matter.
6e started acquiring several newspapers in the years -.,Cs and -.0Cs e*panding in )ew
Deeland and %ustralia and then too$ over ')ews of the World( and, a bit later, 'The ;un( in the
year -.0.. &n -.E-, Rupert Murdoch also bought 'The Times(. 6e was accused during the case
that he had built a media empire based on Fgossip, sensationalism, and manufactured
controversy.F
,
Brom a desire to control and $now every detail of peoples lives, people from
political, economic, social, entertaining spheres, he bought and used phone hac$ing equipment
"which he paid over - million dollars# in order to obtain such intimate particularities of certain
people.
0
&n July +CC., The 7uardian brings out several reports on ournalists from Rupert Murdochs
newspaper ')ews of the World( which told about the illegal interception of voicemails and
)
?lmsted, @athryn ;., Challenging the Secret Government, :niversity of )orth 1arolina 2ress,
p.-,
*
4ernstein, 1. F&s 2hone36ac$ing ;candal MurdochGs WatergateHF, Newsweek, -- July +C--.
+
The Wee$ ;taff. Rupert Murdochs phone3hac$ing scandalI % timeline. The Week J?nlineK %pril
/, +C-+ J%ccessed 9ecember -,, +C-<K %vailable from:
httpILLthewee$.comLarticleLinde*L+-8<8EL
)
Seran !ana
"ear: #
Section: S$%
private conversations of celebrities, politicians and many more, without the $nowledge of the
senior staff of the newspaper in case.
Rupert Murdoch was put under accusation and charged for more than four thousand phone
hac$s and recordings which targeted public figures of several spheres "politicians, celebrities and
even members from the Royal Bamily ! 2rince William told some of the members of his family
that he had croo$ed his $nee#. ;candalous or private stories had been released in Rupert
Murdochs ')ews of the World(, affecting the reputation of many and such drawing attention
towards the ournalists involved. 441, The 9aily Telegraph and many other newspapers reported
on the victims of the unethical newspaper and revealed a grotesque side of Rupert Murdochs
obsession on scandal and gossip. The scandal spreads li$e wild fire to Murdochs other
newspapers ! The ;un and ;unday Times ! as 7ordon 4rown decides to sue on the accusation
that his personal financial records and the medical records of his /3year3old son with cystic
fibrosis were illegally obtained.
8
This case reveals a side in which ournalists would do anything and would go any length for
gathering private and sensitive information that at some point might bring sensation to the
public, an increase in sales, thus aiming for monetary gain.
%fter -0E years of publication, one of the oldest newspaper in 7reat 4ritain ! 'The )ews of
the World( ! finds its closure on July --
th
+C--, after a two years investigation on Rupert
Murdoch and many of his affiliate ournalists.
&n conclusion, we can see that two cases which had at the core the same illegal move
regarding the invasion of ones or more privacy, had in fact different victims. &n the Watergate
affair, )i*on and his staff targeted the press sphere which then played the role of a watchdog
trying to e*pose )i*ons doings and help the investigation. &nitially there where two sides ! one
fighting for )i*ons image, the other fighting for the truth, yet at the end the later one gained a
lot more members and power as things started getting out of )i*ons hands and influence. ?n
the other side, in Murdochs case, the ournalists were directly involved into activities such as the
,
:n$nown author. )ews &nternational hits bac$ at 7ordon 4rown hac$ing allegations. The
TelegrahJ?nlineK July -<, +C--J%ccessed 9ecember -0,+C-<K %vailable fromI
httpILLwww.telegraph.co.u$LnewsLu$newsLphone3hac$ingLE0<<.,0L)ews3&nternational3hits3bac$3
at37ordon34rown3hac$ing3allegations.html
*
Seran !ana
"ear: #
Section: S$%
gathering of sensitive information "used towards a monetary gain#, blac$mail, and public
shaming of people being part of different public spheres. Murdochs obsession on gossip and the
desire to satisfy the readers corrupted those who, in the first case, acted in the role of gate3
$eeping for democracy.
The comparison between the two cases puts the spotlight on the dissimilar positions the press
can have, it shows the good and the bad of it. &t proves that even ournalists can be corrupted and
try and raise their reputation through means which contradict their ethics. Watergate and
Murdoch are good e*amples of how ournalists can be those who would uphold the law and act
against undemocratic actions, but also those brea$ing the law and using immoral means to reach
their goal in another case.
'The media is probably the most powerful of all our institutions today, they are squandering
their power and ignoring their obligationF
E
! This quote implies that those from the ournalists
sphere possess a power and obligations to protect and uphold democracy, the law and to point
out the wrongs done by people, institutions, politicians, the state itself. &n the Watergate case this
power was used e*actly to fulfill the moral and ethical obligations, unli$e Murdoch in which the
ournalists 'squandered( their power and used it for their own benefit and for the benefit of the
newspaper they wor$ed for.
4&4M&?7R%26=
-. @utler, ;tanley, Watergate A brief history with document, ;econd Adition, Wiley3
4lac$well,
+. Waldron, Mamar Watergate A hidden !istory, Ni"on, the #afia, and the C$A%
-
4ernstein, 1. The &diot 1ulture, The New &eublic, June E, -..+.
+
Seran !ana
"ear: #
Section: S$%
<. ?lmsted, @athryn ;., Challenging the Secret Government, :niversity of )orth 1arolina
2ress,
/. The Wee$ ;taff. Rupert Murdochs phone3hac$ing scandalI % timeline. The Week J?nlineK
%pril /, +C-+ J%ccessed 9ecember -,, +C-<K %vailable from:
httpILLthewee$.comLarticleLinde*L+-8<8EL
,. httpILLwww.pbs.orgLwgbhLpagesLfrontlineLmurdochs3scandalL BR?)TM&)A goes inside the
struggle over the future of )ews 1orporation, Rupert Murdochs reputation and his family
fortune
0. 4ernstein, 1. F&s 2hone36ac$ing ;candal MurdochGs WatergateHF, Newsweek, -- July
+C--.
8. :n$nown author. )ews &nternational hits bac$ at 7ordon 4rown hac$ing allegations. The
TelegrahJ?nlineK July -<, +C--J%ccessed 9ecember -0,+C-<K %vailable fromI
httpILLwww.telegraph.co.u$LnewsLu$newsLphone3hac$ingLE0<<.,0L)ews3&nternational3
hits3bac$3at37ordon34rown3hac$ing3allegations.html
E. 4ernstein, 1. The &diot 1ulture, The New &eublic, June E, -..+.
,