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Reporters may believe they control the story, but the story always controls the reporters.

Bob Woodward

Many people have their reputations as reporters and analysts because they are on television, batting around conventional wisdom. A lot of these people have never reported a story.
BOB WOODWARD

People Stories Wisdom
I have written things that Republicans and Democrats and all kinds of figures have either hated or felt very uncomfortable about. Because in doing these long projects and books, you get close to the bone. And they’re not calling me up and asking me for dinner.
BOB WOODWARD

Asking Book Long
I don’t think voters give a hoot about the character of their political advisors, except to the extent that character reflects on the candidates.
BOB WOODWARD

Character Giving Thinking
I’m not going to name some of my colleagues who are very well-known for their television presentation, but they wouldn’t know new information or how to report a story if it came up and bit them.
BOB WOODWARD

College Names Stories
Good work is always done in defiance of management.
BOB WOODWARD

Design Done Management
I think the problem in the Republican Party is really not money. I think they’ve got lots of it. I think it is theory of the case – why are we here, what is our message, how to connect to the real world.
BOB WOODWARD

Party Real Thinking
Lawyers didn’t seriously get involved in the Watergate stories until quite late, when we realized we were on to something.
BOB WOODWARD

Lawyer Literature Stories
Some newspapers have a hands-off policy on favored politicians. But it’s generally very small newspapers or local TV stations.
BOB WOODWARD

Hands Literature Newspaper Television
I recently did the David Letterman Show about my book. He was very serious and made no jokes and it caught me off guard a little bit. He was much more serious than some of the joke shows that journalists get on.
BOB WOODWARD

Book Jokes Literature Littles Serious
I recently read some of the transcripts of Nixon’s Watergate tapes, and they spent hours trying to figure out who was leaking and providing information to Carl and myself.
BOB WOODWARD

Information Tape Trying
The Washington Times wrote a story questioning the authenticity of some of the suggestions made about me in Silent Coup. But as a believer in the First Amendment, I believe they have more than a right to air their views.
BOB WOODWARD

Air Believe Views
Watergate provides a model case study of the interaction and powers of each of the branches of government. It also is a morality play with a sad and dramatic ending.
BOB WOODWARD

Government Motherhood Play
We need to police ourselves in the media.
BOB WOODWARD

Media Needs Police
…Obama said, ‘I welcome debate among my team, but I won’t tolerate division’.
BOB WOODWARD

Division Military Team
I believe Watergate shows that the system did work. Particularly the Judiciary and the Congress, and ultimately an independent prosecutor working in the Executive Branch.
BOB WOODWARD

Believe Independent Work
When you practice reporting for as long as I have, you keep yourself at a distance from True Believers. Either conservatives or liberals or Democrats or Republicans.
BOB WOODWARD

Distance Long Practice

Reporters may believe they control the story, but the story always controls the reporters.

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Reporters may believe they control the story, but the story always controls the reporters.

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Popular Authors

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