Old media journalism

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Old media journalism

I watched All the President’s Men over the past few days. It was very good, and I am glad I have consumed what some people consider to be a critical piece of Americana. While I was watching it, I couldn’t help but think about how much journalism had changed. Nearly every time they got a new bit of information, I instinctively thought “GOOGLE!” or “Internet!” or “use a cell phone!” In one part, they were searching for identity of Kenneth Dahlberg, and they were literally going through “Who’s Who” books. In another, Bernstein is sprinting down the street trying to stop Woodward’s car, instead of, you know, calling him and telling him to hold up for a second. The pre-internet age seems so exasperating, although I imagine your feeling of satisfaction would have been pretty hearty if you uncovered these secrets via such bonafide detective-like methods.