The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The Washington Post who uncovered the Watergate scandal during the Nixon administration spoke Tuesday evening about his struggles with investigative reporting and the skills a journalist should possess.
Bob Woodward sat before approximately 700 students in Paul F. Sharp Hall at Catlett Music Center Tuesday evening for a question-and-answer discussion.
"For people of my generation, Watergate was like Vietnam," Woodward said of the importance of his investigating. "I think when we were reporting the Watergate scandal, nobody believed it."
Woodward, who is known for his use of anonymous sources after the Watergate scandal, said that journalists should use more anonymous sources.
"It is one job in which the role of one person is unimaginable," Woodward said.
Alongside Woodward were OU President David L. Boren and Joe Foote, interim dean and chairman of the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
"This was ... a very intimate group," Boren said of the large turnout of students for the event.
Boren spoke highly of the relationship that he and Woodward had developed over the years, after Boren's political time spent in Washington D.C.
"It has been an interesting experience for me to get to know him professionally and personally," Boren said.
Woodward explained that journalists should be balanced by staying spontaneous and disciplined. Many students nodded their heads in agreement as Woodward spoke. Adam Pinkney, broadcasting sophomore, and Randy Ball, advertising sophomore, were among the many students that attended.
"He gave us great professional tips on reporting stories," Pinkney said.
Ball agreed the forum was conducted in a professional atmosphere. Ball expressed that the history surrounding Woodward's investigating journalism was interesting in itself.
"I think it was really interesting because digging for the truth is really important in quality journalism," Ball said.
After the discussion, Woodward gave a speech at a dinner banquet to current and former students, faculty, donors, members of the Board of Regents, prominent judges and members of the state Senate and House of Representatives.
The crowd of more than 1,000 people led to an overflow from Molly Shi Boren Ballroom in Oklahoma Memorial Union. People were seated in Beaird Lounge and the University Club, where projection screens were set up to show the event.
Woodward spoke to the crowd about reporting the Watergate scandal for The Washington Post. Woodward explained the struggles that he felt while reporting the scandal with anonymous sources. Woodward said he felt pressured to reveal the all of the participates in the scandal, which included former President Nixon.
"This occasion reminds us of the importance of journalism," Boren said of the event.
