Carl Bernstein
Few journalists in America’s history have had the impact on their era and their craft as Carl Bernstein. For 40 years, from All the President’s Men to A Woman-In-Charge: The Life of Hillary Clinton, Bernstein’s books, reporting, and commentary have revealed the inner-workings of government, politics, and the hidden stories of Washington and its leaders.
In the early 1970s, Bernstein and Bob Woodward broke the Watergate story for The Washington Post, leading to the resignation of President Richard Nixon and setting the standard for modern investigative reporting, for which they and The Post were awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
Since then, Bernstein has continued to build on the theme he and Woodward first explored in the Nixon years—the use and abuse of power: political, media, financial, cultural, and spiritual power. Renowned as a prose stylist, he has also written a classic biography of Pope John Paul II, served as the founding editor of the first major political website, and been a rock critic.
The author of many best-selling books, Bernstein has also worked on several multimedia projects, including a memoir about growing up at a Washington newspaper, The Evening Star, during the Kennedy era; and a dramatic political TV series with David Simon of ‘The Wire’ for HBO. He is also an on-air contributor for CNN and a contributing editor of Vanity Fair magazine.
Bernstein was born and raised in Washington, DC, and began his journalism career at age 16 as a copyboy for The Washington Evening Star, becoming a reporter at 19. He lives in New York with his wife and is the father of two sons, one a journalist and the other a rock musician.
*Information from https://www.southern.edu/events/lynnsauls.html.
- Carl Bernstein Official WebsiteOfficial website of Carl Bernstein.
Online Resources
- Carl Bernstein: C-SpanCarl Bernstein was a Correspondent for the Washington Post with 27 videos in the C-SPAN Video Library; the first appearance was a 1981 Senate Committee as a Correspondent for the ABC News. The year with the most videos was 2014 with five videos. The year with the highest average number of views per program was 2017 with an average of 82,737 views per program. Most appearances with Bob Woodward (12), Thomas Staley (3), George S. McGovern (2). Most common tags: Nixon, Richard, Journalism, American Perspectives.
- The first Woodward and Bernstein story on the Watergate scandalThe first article published by Woodward and Berstein on Watergate.
- The Post InvestigatesThe Watergate Story from the Washington Post.
Research & Reference
- Carl Bernstein: Credo ReferenceA Credo Reference landing page on the life and work of Carl Bernstein. This page includes links to reference works, journal articles, and a mind map.
Discussion on the 50th anniversary of Watergate
They are responsible for what may be the most famous story in the history of investigative journalism. Join Washington Post Live on Friday, June 17 at 1:00 p.m. ET to hear from legendary reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as they discuss the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break-in, how they got the story and its lasting impact.
Author's Works & Perspectives
Chasing History
A New York Times bestseller In this triumphant memoir, Carl Bernstein, the Pulitzer Prize-winning coauthor of All the President's Men and pioneer of investigative journalism, recalls his beginnings as an audacious teenage newspaper reporter in the nation's capital--a winning tale of scrapes, gumshoeing, and American bedlam. In 1960, Bernstein was just a sixteen-year-old at considerable risk of failing to graduate high school. Inquisitive, self-taught--and, yes, truant--Bernstein landed a job as a copyboy at the Evening Star, the afternoon paper in Washington. By nineteen, he was a reporter there. In Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom, Bernstein recalls the origins of his storied journalistic career as he chronicles the Kennedy era, the swelling civil rights movement, and a slew of grisly crimes. He spins a buoyant, frenetic account of educating himself in what Bob Woodward describes as "the genius of perpetual engagement." Funny and exhilarating, poignant and frank, Chasing History is an extraordinary memoir of life on the cusp of adulthood for a determined young man with a dogged commitment to the truth.
All the President's Men
The most devastating political detective story of the century: two Washington Post reporters, whose brilliant, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation smashed the Watergate scandal wide open, tell the behind-the-scenes drama the way it really happened. One of Time magazine's All-Time 100 Best Nonfiction Books, this is the book that changed America. Published just months before President Nixon's resignation, All the President's Men revealed the full scope of the scandal and introduced for the first time the mysterious "Deep Throat." Beginning with the story of a simple burglary at Democratic headquarters and then continuing through headline after headline, Bernstein and Woodward deliver a riveting firsthand account of their reporting. Their explosive reports won a Pulitzer Prize for The Washington Post, toppled the president, and have since inspired generations of reporters. All the President's Men is a riveting detective story, capturing the exhilarating rush of the biggest presidential scandal in US history as it unfolded in real time.
The Final Days
"The Final Days" is the classic, behind-the-scenes account of Richard Nixon's dramatic last months as president. Moment by moment, Bernstein and Woodward portray the taut, post-Watergate White House as Nixon, his family, his staff, and many members of Congress strained desperately to prevent his inevitable resignation. This brilliant book reveals the ordeal of Nixon's fall from office -- one of the gravest crises in presidential history.