After Watergate Media Analysis

However, it is not just senior government officials who have gotten away with crimes. In today's society when a corporation double counts its money in order to boost its stock price or relative value it is deemed corporate financial fraud and is met with severe punishments. However, there is a “double standard” in government, according to a Washington Times article Secretary Kathleen declared on behalf of the Obama administration that the administration had in fact double counted the money within the medicare trust fund in order to appear stronger for an upcoming health care bill. Of course, being the fraudulent system that allows government officials to appear above the law, Mrs Sebelius served no time for her crimes. This illegal activity

The 1970s marked the beginning of television's rise in influence. According to Luis Leibovich's, Watergate and The Press, for over 70 years the presidents and their advisors controlled the media. The presidents created positive relationships with the media. The president and his staff controlled when and how information could be circulated. John Dean explains that, “Before Watergate, presidents were given the benefit of the doubt by the media. After Watergate, they were presumed to be doing the wrong thing until proven otherwise. The burden had shifted.” After Watergate reporters had a different perspective on government. After Watergate the media proudly took on the role of political watch dog. The media would insure justice by adopting an unrestrained role. The post watergate media became more independent and less naive. They wanted answers and would do everything to get them. No longer did the media display the president on a pedestal like they had in the past. As a result to the media change the public's perspective changed as well. This transformation caused people to question their elected government officials and demand

"Watergate generated an attitude of cynicism and mistrust that remains with us today," said Watergate historian Stanley I. Kutler.” Fred Wertheimer, president of Common Cause, a citizens lobby that flourished because of Watergate, said that "Watergate was the greatest political scandal of our time." “ In the years since Nixon's downfall, Watergate has provided the prevailing metaphor for scandal in Washington. Not only are the terms cover-up and stonewall now permanent parts of the political lexicon, but every new flurry of allegations of political wrongdoing usually gets a shorthand name ending in gate. As a benchmark for scandal, Watergate has never been exceeded. Even the Iran-Contra affair, which crippled the presidency of Ronald Reagan, was viewed as much less serious than Watergate because it did not lead to impeachment of the President… And, while Watergate brought about many changes in government ethics laws, some experts believe it also institutionalized what author Suzanne Garment terms "the politics of scandal," a widely held presumption that our politicians are corrupt.” “[Nixon’s] abuse of presidential power