Tom Brokaw Interview: Inside Watergate & The Unraveling of Richard Nixon

Journalist Tom Brokaw discusses the influence of his mother on his career, covering the Whitehouse as a young broadcaster in the 1970s, and how Watergate was the biggest single political story of his lifetime and one of the biggest stories of this country's history. Brokaw describes Ben Bradlee as fearless in what he did as an editor, and that Woodward and Bernstein gave investigative journalism an elevated place that made the country aware of its importance. Thomas John Brokaw is a retired network television journalist and author who was born in Webster, South Dakota on February 6, 1940. He graduated from the University of South Dakota where he studied political science. Brokaw began his journalism career in Omaha and Atlanta before joining NBC News in 1966. Brokaw was the White House correspondent for NBC News during Watergate, and from 1976 to 1981 he anchored Today on NBC. He was the sole anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News from 1983 to 2005, and was a moderator for Meet the Press in 2008. He is the only person to have hosted all three major NBC News programs. He continued as a special correspondent for NBC News, producing long-form documentaries and providing expertise during breaking news events up until his retirement in 2021. Brokaw has won numerous, prestigious journalism awards, including Peabodys, Duponts, Emmys and The Edward R. Murrow Award for Lifetime Achievement in Broadcasting. He may be best known for his work documenting the sacrifices made by Americans during World War II in his book The Greatest Generation (1998), which profiled many of those who came of age during that difficult stretch of U.S. history. From the HBO / Kunhardt Film Foundation (KFF) Documentary “The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee,” about one of America's most influential and celebrated newspaper editors, who found himself at the center of many of the 20th Century's most seismic storms, including: World War II, John F. Kennedy, Watergate and the fall of Richard Nixon. Subscribe for access to interviews, series, films, and educational materials that address issues of social justice, history, politics, the arts, and culture by spotlighting relatable human stories of purpose and meaning. Learn about our work and how to support our mission here: https://www.lifestories.org/. For extended versions of these interviews and more, visit:    / @lifestoriesinterviewarchive   Follow us on Instagram:   / lifestoriesinterviews   Tom Brokaw, Anchor, NBC Nightly News (1982-2004) Interviewed By: John Maggio Interview Date: January 11, 2017 Chapters 00:00 Intro 00:15 Getting into journalism 01:27 The seduction of journalism 02:21 A journalist’s lifestyle 03:15 Ben Bradlee’s persona 04:38 Ben Bradlee’s personality 05:01 Ben Bradlee’s time in the navy 07:18 Ben Bradlee’s time in Paris 08:48 Ben Bradlee’s personality 10:13 A lifelong interest in politics 12:06 Changing how the White House was covered 14:06 Watergate and The Washington Post 15:34 Ben Bradlee’s outlook 16:15 Ben Bradlee’s friendship with JFK 17:47 Ben Bradlee’s politics 18:39 Reporting on the president and other public officials 19:53 Ben Bradlee’s relationship with Kay Graham 20:59 Ben Bradlee’s character 21:53 First impressions of Ben Bradlee 22:20 The merging of print and broadcast journalism 24:53 Ben Bradlee turned a good newspaper into a great newspaper 25:52 Ben Bradlee’s persona at the office 27:07 Moving on after Janet Cooke 28:55 All the President’s Men 30:56 Watergate and Nixon’s downfall 32:25 Building the case against Nixon 33:48 The dangers of social media 35:40 The new world of digital journalism 36:51 The mighty Sally Quinn 39:01 Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn 39:48 Ben Bradlee chose his words carefully 41:30 Ben Bradlee’s family dynamic 42:36 Ben Bradlee’s upbringing 44:39 Ben Bradlee loved good reporting 46:04 Ben Bradlee’s father 47:06 Nixon’s resignation 48:12 Watergate and Ben Bradlee’s lasting legacy © Home Box Office and Kunhardt Film Foundation. All Rights Reserved. #TomBrokaw #kunhardtfilmfoundation