June 1, 2005
Deep Throat Frenzy
Though it was the Washington Post's biggest story, the NY media suckerpunched the Post by running the revelation that former FBI No. 2 man, Mark Felt, was Deep Throat, the shadowy informant who helped reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein reveal the Watergate scandal. Felt, now 91, confessed after the urging of his family, catching Woodward and Bernstein off-guard (Woodstein probably were probably planning a book to be published as soon at Felt died). Gothamist, who had been obsessed with wondering who Deep Throat was, thanks to American History classes and Alan Pakula's brilliant depiction of the Washington Post's investigation in All the President's Men, loves this story and has been reading all we can about it: Here's coverage from the Washington Post and the NY Times, plus the NY Post's and NY Daily News's excited coverage.
The Washington Post on why it's depressing to know who Deep Throat is. The University of Illinois' J-school thought Deep Throat was Fred Fielding. The NY Times has a PDF of the Vanity Fair article, ostensibly for you to see pictures and give them more traffic. And here's the Woodward and Bernstein book, All the President's Men.
Finally, one of the best films about Watergate is the 1999 film, Dick; Will Ferrell as Bob Woodward, Dave Foley as Bob Haldeman, Harry Shearer as G. Gordon Liddy - what more could you want?
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FWIW, the New York media didn't suckerpunch anybody. The Post promised to keep their source a secret, and they kept their promise.
Agree with TA, unless you count VF as NY media.
Everybody who remembers Watergate is jumping on this in a kind of goofy way, which is cool, but methinks there's a seemy side to this as well, as in both Woodstein and the Felt family each racing to see who can get the biggest book deal. There's something creepy about the report out this morning that Felt's daughter was begging her old and infirm father to tell his story because the book deal would set her kids up for life, and Woodward wanting him to keep quiet - ostensibly so *he* could get the scoop. You'd always like to think people are acting out of their best instincts (honesty, patriotism, etc) but the truth reveals something different.
Oh, well. As Nixon himself said, "It's wrong, that's for sure."
T.A.- eh... yes and no to the post being sucker punched. Of course making a distinction between ny media and dc media is kind of pointless, but I can understand J.C's use of the joke to somehow portray this as a story that has relevance to New York. You know, the whole "gothamist" model thing. With that said, Vanity Fair did go to great pains to hide this story from the Post, just in case the post tried to pounce on the story before VF’s publication... hiding the story from Carl Bernstein, a member of their own editorial staff and all....
I’m neither a washingtonian or a new yorker, but a big fan of inter-city rivalries. So please, duke it out and beat the crap out of each other. I LOVE to watch that sort of shit.
This story was never "competitive" in any real sense, since the meat of it was broken 30 years ago. Throat's identity is for all practical purposes immaterial. The Post didn't compete with VF on this because they broke the story that really mattered. O'Connor's "scoop" is a footnote; Woodstein and the Post own the real story forever and for all times.
truth be told the guy was a rat who circumvented normal law enforcement channels that are supposed to be the "checks and balances" that we define out democracy with. his actions were stupid and anything but altruistic. who cares about this guy anyway. the real deep throat is : http://imdb.com/name/nm0715857/photogallery
If he's a rat then I am thankful for rats. I guess you view his boss Gray as an upstanding guy?
For what it's worth, NY press lagged behind MSNBC, SF Chronicle, Detroit Free Press and others on "the scoop". Once it was revealed, everyone waited for the Washington Post/Woodstein to confirm because they own the story and the source.
Yeah, I agree. The guy is a hero, and he does harken back to a time when knowing what the right thing to do was clearer. He saw wrongs being committed in the name of the country and tried to right them. I guess a 2005 sensibility infected his and his family's later decisions, but that doesn't take from his heroism back in the 1970's.
I just remember my mother, a pretty staunch Republican, watching the hearings while ironing in the living room. I'm 10 or so, doing my homework, and all of a sudden I hear her mutter, "God, that man's lying through his teeth." She meant the President.
Like I said, simpler times.
Yep, he obviously should have followed procedure gone to the Top, that is, tell the President...
Um, No, Wait, the President Sponsored the burglary!
Among other goodies, President Nixon ordered the Attorney General to Fire the Guy doing the investigation. If "Deep Throat" (Why on earth that name!?) hadn't leaked the Information, it would never have come out.
the president (at least the last time i checked the history books) is 1 part of a 3 part government. Bringing this up in a grand jury forum would probally of been a little bit more protocol. Thats my only point. Govt works on protocol not sensationalism.
There was a grand jury. The FBI knew what Bernstein and Woodward reported but held back. They actively didn't purse the investigation into ties at the White House. Only 6 or 7 of the bottom conspirators (up to Liddy) were initially prosecuted. Why? Because Gray was a Nixon sympathizer - Nixon appointed him. He put the kibosh on making this a bigger investigation. He eventually admitted destroying evidence as well. On whose orders? Dean's - Nixon's Counsel. Felt didn't push info on Woodward or Bernstein. He just made sure they kept at it and confirmed information they found elsewhere.
Fair point, Johnny, but actually, if you think about it, Felt and Woodward and Bernstein did help the other branches of government get on the trail. Would the Senate have gotten involved were it not for the WP? Would we ever have discovered the tapes, which thus got the Supreme Court involved? Some say the real turning point of Watergate was the SC deciding 9-0... **9-0** that Nixon had to turn over the tapes. They don't do that if the Senate hearings don't reveal the tapes existence, and the Senate doesn't get off its ass if the WP doesn't expose the story.
Well, he kept it secret for quite some time, so I doubt he was in it for the Sensationalism.
Those were scary times (arguably not as much as today...) and maybe this was the easiest way for it to come out. Watergate was the reason the Office of Independent prosecutor was invented (and later abused).
either way the guy brought out an injustice and for that i applaud him.
Last time I checked, privileges don't expire upon death. So Woodward and Bernstein would still be obligated to keep Felt's identity confidential after he dies. Correct me if I'm wrong, any media lawyers or journalists out there.
Yes but Felt allowed Woodward to reveal his identity after his death.
Yep, Hero or Not (A matter of opinion) he definitely did a good deed.
What I find amusing is that some of the people responsible for the Burglary and the cover-up call him a "betrayer", "Traitor", etc.
Um, they committed crimes and He's the bad guy?
Go Figure.
I'm sure that "All the President's Men" is flying off the shelves this morning. Two other worthwhile Watergate-themed films: Oliver Stone's "Nixon" and "Secret Honor" with (if I remember correctly) a one-man performance by Philip Baker Hall.
Journalists are free to make with their sources whatever arrangements in terms of identification that they wish (or that the editorial policies of their publications allow), but those agreements aren't necessarily binding, as Felt's decision to reveal himself shows.
sad to say, but the coverage on deep throat here is much better than what's on dcist.
Truth be told that he indeed was a rat. Saw the level of corruption in the Nixon adminstration. Realizaed normal channels of dealing with the situation were rendered useless. And did what he did to get the message out.
Anyone calling this guy a rat and disparraging him in the process is a 100% grade A idiot. Nobody likes a tattletale. But sometimes you need one to get things done. This guy deserves more praise than people can ever imagine.
How times have changed. In today's times, we have "Deep Throats" who reveal the lies and thievery of the Bush administration. The only problem is that the mainstream media has no interest.
ug. excuse me for holding a law enforcement agent liable for not following the letter of the law. i am not stating that his decision to expose what he did was wrong. however i am stating that a law enforcement agent (one of the top ones) should go through the proper channels before circumventing them...thats all.