"Trust Me" Journalism in Newsweek and Watergate; No Proof Mark Felt is Deep Throat

The Washington Post's media reporter, Howard Kurtz, says that a lesson of Watergate is the "burning need for original reporting" on major issues of public importance. But where is the original reporting on whether former FBI official Mark Felt is really Deep Throat? "The 'trust me' journalism that caused Muslim riots in the Newsweek Koran case is being accepted by the major media with regard to the naming of Deep Throat," noted Accuracy in Media editor Cliff Kincaid. "Yet there is no independent evidence that Felt, who repeatedly denied being Deep Throat and now suffers from severe memory problems, was really this key Watergate source."

In fact, as Kincaid noted in a column on the case, Felt was not in a position to supply information about Watergate that is attributed to Deep Throat in the Woodward/Bernstein book about the scandal.

In a recent interview, history professor and Watergate expert Joan Hoff told Kincaid that the alleged "close and fuzzy relationship" between Woodward and Felt is questionable because "Felt can't deny it and it will be based only and exclusively on Woodward's word." Hoff complained, "There is no proof for it. When is the press going to hold his feet to the fire and say, 'where is the documentation?'"

There are people that have said they saw the original manuscript for "All the President's Men" and there was no Deep Throat in the story.

But there was a long litany of individual sources that the book editor thought would be easier, and less tedious, consolidating the most trivial of information and create a mysterious character.

Felt was nothing but a source, and only for confirmation more than for actual material. According to the facts versus the conjecture that Deep Throat knows more than possible for even a high-up FBI agent it's clear he was always going to probably be declared the source.

So simply put, he decided to cash in on his terms and probably had enough of his butt covered to be able to prove he gave and confirmed information to Woodward. Maybe if Bobby boy had of greased him and his family all these years his selfishness, ego and greed would have still been rewarded as he intended with the death of Felt or whomever he could peddle as Deep Throat.

Great post. One liar stands up and says I was Deep Throat while Woodstein (another liar(s)) stands up and swears to it. Deep Throat was not one person, but a convenient invention to write what ever they wanted. Unsourced reporting is an oxymoron, for the consumption of morons. Unsourced reporting allows so-called journalists to say or assert anything that fits their bias. If they are called on it, they (like Newsweek) claim "my source can no longer stand by that statement", or "my source stands by their statement". So what? Taken to the natural conclusion, you end up with liars like Dan Rather saying "..the documents may have been false but the story id true..."

Seriously, is there a journalist or Professor of Journalism who can tell me when using unsourced quotes is reporting.

Nixon sure thought Felt was the man and had access to the info.

Nixon was sure that Felt was leaking to the media as stated on a Nixon White House tape recorded in the Oval Office on October 19, 1972. That was months before the senate hearings which started in May of 1973 and continued into October of 1973 under the chairmanship of Democrat Senator Sam Erwin. The Washington Post was not even using the name deep throat in October of 1972. No one is quoting any other instance where Felt is mentioned on the Nixon tapes. Surely Nixon would have mentioned Felt sometime in 1973 if he thought he was Deep Throat.

If Felt was known by Nixon to be a source for the Washington Post on Oct 19, 1972 there is no way that Nixon would have allowed Felt access to anything except the FBI investigations. Felt could not have known about many of the later revelations attributed to Deep Throat. .

I believe that Felt was the source of the early Washington Post stories but he could not have been the source of the later stories. He was not even in the FBI when much of the information was first learned.

What puzzles me is how could Haldeman have known that Felt was the source leaking to the Washington Post. There were several people in the FBI who knew everything Felt knew. How was Haldeman able to tell Nixon he knew it was Felt who was leaking. When Haldeman tells Nixon that Felt is the source of the leaks, Nixon accepts that as gospel. Nixon must have known how Haldeman knew who Woodwards source was. Otherwise Nixon would have questioned Haldeman on the matter.

If some one told his boss who was doing the leaking wouldn't a normal boss ask .. "How do you know he is the leaker?" The only reason I think Nixon didn't ask Haldeman how he knew it was Felt, is Nixon was fully aware of Haldeman's source and Nixon trusted that source.

Oh one interesting side story on Sam Erwin. I was staying at the Mayflower Hotel in the early spring of 1975. I was in line to pick up my key when the Sainted Senator Sam Erwin crowded in line in front of me. I guess Ole Sam though he was far more privileged than a lowly 'tator.

I later asked David Brinkley what Sam Erwin was doing staying in the Mayflower hotel... Brinkley told me Erwin lived in a suite. A further question by the 'tator elicited the information that Erwin's suite rent must certainly exceed his Senate salary. Erwin did not have the wealth to pay for such high living in the ritzy Mayflower Hotel. Erwin was, as he was won't to say, just a poor Ole Country lawyer. When I asked Brinkley how Erwin could afford such high living... David just smiled that crooked smile that spoke volumes and said nothing.

With that question my conversation with David Brinkley was over.

......In fact, as Kincaid noted in a column on the case, Felt was not in a position to supply information about Watergate that is attributed to Deep Throat in the Woodward/Bernstein book about the scandal. In a recent interview, history professor and Watergate expert Joan Hoff told Kincaid that the alleged "close and fuzzy relationship" between Woodward and Felt is questionable because "Felt can't deny it and it will be based only and exclusively on Woodward's word." Hoff complained, "There is no proof for it. When is the press going to hold his feet to the fire and say, 'where is the documentation?'" ...

Exactly....

...?Who is 'Chuck' Colson?

"I later asked David Brinkley what Sam Erwin was doing staying in the Mayflower hotel... Brinkley told me Erwin lived in a suite. A further question by the 'tator elicited the information that Erwin's suite rent must certainly exceed his Senate salary. Erwin did not have the wealth to pay for such high living in the ritzy Mayflower Hotel. Erwin was, as he was won't to say, just a poor Ole Country lawyer. When I asked Brinkley how Erwin could afford such high living... David just smiled that crooked smile that spoke volumes and said nothing."

Excellent personal anecdote. It speaks volumes about how things are done in Washington, and also demonstrates why it is that once our elected reps arrive there, they don't all live up to their campaign promises.

Can we REALLY say, "greasing of palms?"

Thanks for such a great, flowing and informative comments, "tator!"

Char :)

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