“There are people who take rumors and embellish them in a way that can be devastating. And this pollution has to be eradicated by people in our business as best we can.”

If information is true, if it can be verified, and if it’s really important, the newspaper needs to be willing to take the risk associated with using unidentified sources.

…Obama said, ‘I welcome debate among my team, but I won’t tolerate division’.

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.

Nixon’s grand mistake was his failure to understand that Americans are forgiving, and if he had admitted error early and apologized to the country, he would have escaped.

I never really read comics. I bought them, and I would draw them.

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

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.

The biggest rap on me is that I don’t find a Watergate every couple of years. Well, Watergate was unique. It’s not something Carl Bernstein, I, or the Washington Post caused.

I gave my word that this source would not be identified unless he changed his mind. He has not…

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.

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.

There is a garbage culture out there, where we pour garbage on people. Then the pollsters run around and take a poll and say, do you smell anything?

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.

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

Deep Throat was a very unfortunate name given to the source by the managing editor of The Washington Post.

I believe there’s too little patience and context to many of the investigations I read or see on television.

My position attracts a fair amount of rumors and gossip and misperceptions, but I’d rather not focus on that.

Athens will again be the host of the Games in 2004, but there are rumors that they might be switched if the Greeks don’t begin to construct the sites faster.

All these rumors about [Tom Cruise] being gay. I don’t believe it. I don’t believe it for one minute. He hasn’t been to one of my shows.

I’m not a Mensa member. I have no idea where that rumor came from. I never have been, and I doubt if I ever will be.

All those rumors about her being underweight are trash. She’s [Calista Flockhart] gorgeous.

Rumor gets printed as fact. We may have lost our critical facility as a nation.

People rely on Wikipedia, and a lot of it is wrong. But because there it is on the Internet, they assume it’s right.

Money talks. It starts rumors about careers and complicity and speaks of the tragedies and triumphs of our social lives.