Introduction
The Watergate scandal can be said to extremely shape the American political landscape in numerous ways. A lot of political alterations and treatment of the scandal by both the public and the media were however observed in the pre-Nixonian and post-Nixonian times after his resignation which is squarely blamed on the Watergate scandal (US. News Staff, 2014) . Two articles, by the Washington Post and the Harvard Crimson each, gives a separate view on the Watergate scandal.
The Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal emerged in the year 1972 when some five men were caught attempting to eavesdrop at the Democratic National Committee's offices in Watergate. They had with them some listening devices, receivers, and several other communication devices. The issues on Watergate led to the withdrawal of president Nixon as it was during his reign (US. News Staff, 2014) . A president that is chosen by the people has the best leadership skills. He/she portrays all the right qualities of a people’s choice and has their interests at heart. Having gone through an electoral procedure that has singled him/her out is a significant task. But yet still, the human is to error, as we are subject to imperfections
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The Chicago Tribune Editorial
Chicago Tribune is said to have close contact with President Nixon, and hence, they penned down an article in defense of the friend whom they were not ready to desert in the Hour of need hence, the tribune humbly asked him to resign instead of waiting for impeachment. The article by the Chicago Tribune attempted to illustrate all the achievements of President Nixon to mask the Watergate scandal and be seen as to resign in honor through preventing a backlash from the public (Burch, 1974) . For an extended period, Americans have believed in a relationship between politics and corruption. Most people admit that the Watergate scandal was a grave matter since it revealed corruption in the Nixon’s administration. Others took it in as a political game that leaders engage in for reasons best known to them. Majority of the citizens that disapproved of the scandal wanted an impeachment action taken.
The Washington Post editorial
The press coverage of politicians has changed over time; the main focus is that of truth and transparency. The freedom of media has gone come a long way, in the sense that, one cannot compare the current situation to that of let's say fifty years ago. The transformation is purely positive, and media personalities have the opportunity to explore more in the political world without any inhibitions. While Chicago Tribune was sharing some of the positive achievements of President Nixon in order to save him from public embarrassment, an article by the Washington Post was, however, sharing the opposite (Editorial, 1973) . Although the president’s top aides at the white house resigned, the Washington Post article did not see this action as helpful in paving the way for investigations in the Watergate scandal. Furthermore, the editorial was very keen on ensuring that one of the most credible investigators do the prosecution.
Public and Media opinion ion pre-Nixonian and Post-Nixonian Period
The Watergate scandal had a major impact on the post-Nixonian era on how people and the media view their leaders. The people lost faith in their leaders. The scandal also exposed the rot in the political class. It opened the eyes of the American voters on the need to scrutinize the integrity of their leaders doing the voting process (US. News Staff, 2014) . Media freedoms were also well expressed by the Watergate scandal. Some media which were deeply pro-Nixon although had no option but to advise him to consider resignation which he went ahead and resign, while others were keen on ensuring full investigation of the scandal.
Conclusion
The Watergate scandal is one of the famous scandal involving the topmost political class in the United States hence leading to a resignation of a president who is in office. The role of the media was also well articulated by the water gate scandal in which different media outlets took different stands on the scandal. Public opinion was similarly shaped up by the scandal since the corrupt top offices were exposed. The Watergate scandal thus serves as a historical scandal in American politics.
References
Burch, D. (1974, May 14). In Defense of Richard Nixon . Retrieved April 24, 2018
Editorial. (1973, May 1). Watergate: The Unfinished Business . Retrieved from Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/watergate/articles/050173-2.htm
The US. News Staff. (2014, August 8). Effects of Watergate: The Good and the Bad . Retrieved from U.S News: https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/08/08/effects-of-watergate-the-good-and-the-bad
