Carl Bernstein, one of the reporters who uncovered the Watergate scandal leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974, spoke to more than 1,500 students, employees, alumni and community members during a recent visit.
Bernstein’s visit to the university inaugurated the School of Journalism and Communication’s R. Lynn Sauls Endowed Lecture Series, which invite prominent journalists and communication professionals to campus.
The series is named after Dr. Lynn Sauls, former professor and dean of what is now the School of Journalism and Communication.
Bernstein shared his views regarding truth and the role of journalism in society during a presentation moderated by local television personality Alison Lebovitz.
He described working for The Washington Evening Star as a teenager and covering the civil rights movement and former President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration. He also provided insight into how he and Bob Woodward exposed Nixon’s crimes as young reporters in their late twenties while working for The Washington Post.
Additionally, Bernstein offered advice to students, encouraging them to get a foot in the door, listen well and avoid manufactured controversy. He said journalists should aim to report “the best obtainable version of the truth.”
“Carl Bernstein is one of the greatest investigative journalists our country has seen,” says Amanda Blake, a junior journalism major at Southern Adventist. “As an aspiring journalist, his passion for truth energized me. His advice on covering the context of a story – the people, the real issues, the effects of legislation – inspired me to take my storytelling to the next level, to not only inform people but to serve them as well.”
Source: Southern Adventist