Journalists and Anonymous Sources

The writer of the following is a "Woodstein" journalism graduate -- i.e., post-Nixon resignation
reporter enthralled with the story of Woodward and Bernstein and Deep Throat. As the writer says, "... now that the most anonymous of anonymous sources has been revealed, his unmasking should begin a serious debate about the use of future deep throats."


By Cliff Albert - Clear Channel, San Diego

I graduated from college with a degree in journalism the same year President Nixon resigned.

So for me, and a lot of my fellow journalism grads at the time, the story of Woodward and Bernstein and Deep Throat has always been kind of a defining professional moment.

And for all these years there has been an almost bigger than life legend surrounding the case with the "All The President’s Men" book and movie becoming journalism case studies. Along with decades of intrigue and conspiracy theories as to who it was -- who was Deep Throat?

Well, now that we know, it’s all kind of disappointing. Many of us always thought the famous source for the stories that brought down a president was going to turn out to be someone famous in Washington.

It turns out, of course, the guy is a 91-year-old retired FBI man, and while he was once the No. 2 guy in the FBI, not a guy a lot of Americans have heard of.

While some call him a hero for what he did, others say he did it because he didn’t like the way Nixon handled the FBI and was maybe even using Woodward and Bernstein to help him get the job of FBI Director.

We’ll probably never know now.

What we do know is that the case of Deep Throat changed the way the news business did business as it gave birth to the widespread use and sometime abuse of anonymous sources.

And so now that the most anonymous of anonymous sources has been revealed, his unmasking should begin a serious debate about the use of future deep throats.