On the Scandal’s Fiftieth Anniversary, Thoughts from “Deep Throat’s” Attorney

National News
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Recently Kevin Price, Host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business Show, interviewed John D. O’Connor.

Watergate was the most impactful political scandal in American history, if not world history. It is universally recognized also as being journalistically impelled, and at that, by but one outlet, the Washington Post. The paper’s reporting was aided immeasurably by Bob Woodward’s mysterious, anonymous source Deep Throat, years later revealed as Mark Felt, the FBI’s number two official and head of the Watergate investigation. So how do we analyze this journalism and the collaboration between these two “reporters”, the Post’s Woodward and the FBI’s Felt? While their work together resulted in some excellent journalism,  pointing toward the White House of President Richard Nixon. But when Deep Throat uncovered facts pointing the scandal in a new direction, the Post and Woodward ignored them altogether. The result was an overall narrative that by concealment of key facts was in its essence false. This type of journalism, aimed as it is at political impact, not nonpartisan truth-telling, has profoundly negative consequences for modern society. Watergate, then, at its core is a tale of two reporters.

Kevin Price introduces Price of Business show recurring guest, John D. O’Connor. O’Connor was the famed attorney of Watergate’s “Deep Throat. 
According to PostGateBook.com “O’Connor served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Northern California from 1974-1979, representing the United States in both criminal and civil cases. Among his interesting assignments have been representation of the government during the OPEC oil embargo of the 1970s; writing Fifth Amendment and “state of mind” briefs for the prosecution in United States v. Patricia Hearst; representing the FDIC, FSLC and RTC during the savings and loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s; representing California Attorney General Dan Lungren in campaign-related litigation; defending R.J. Reynolds Tobacco in significant smoking and health litigation; representing Coach Don Nelson in litigation with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban; and representing W. Mark Felt regarding the revelation of his identity as Deep Throat.”

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