Deep Throat: The secret source behind the infamous Watergate scandal was revealed in a Vanity Fair article in 2005.
Mark Felt was the FBI’s former deputy director during US president Richard Nixon’s administration.
As the anonymous informant known as “Deep Throat”, Felt played an integral role in leaking key details of Nixon’s Watergate cover-up to two Washington Post reporters.
It was journalism’s greatest moment when the 30-year-old mystery of Deep Throat was solved.
In 1972, five burglars attempted to break into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee located at the Watergate complex, but were caught.
The men were found to have connections with the Republican Party and at least one was a former CIA agent, which immediately led to a full FBI investigation.
The White House continued to deny any involvement. However, reporter Bob Woodward found his perfect informant (Deep Throat) who would confirm confidential information.
Following a series of articles written by Woodward and Carl Bernstein, which brought to light the corruption within the administration, President Nixon resigned.
London Gazette: This is considered to be the first real newspaper published in 1665 (as the Oxford Gazette) and remains the oldest English paper to be still in print.
Throughout the 18th century, the publishing industry witnessed a boom, with technology gaining strength, postal systems developing and literacy numbers rising.
The first daily newspaper was published in London in 1702 and was called The Daily Courant while the Pennsylvania Packet, in the US, was not published until 1784.
By the 20th century, newspapers evolved with the changing consumer and media models.
Inverted Pyramid: Centuries ago, writing styles, especially that of news, were different from today’s.
During the mid-19th century, the telegraph was invented (an electric communication system which sent signals over wires that became messages when decoded).
Samuel Morse took the invention of the telegraph further, making it practical and, therefore, more successful.
In 1844, the first news dispatch was delivered using Morse’s electric telegraph system, and news became quick and to the point, with the most important facts noted right at the beginning.
It would have been time-consuming, otherwise, to transmit news using the Morse code if far too long-winded. That technique is known as the “inverted pyramid”.
Lewinsky and Bill: When a young and ambitious 21-year-old college graduate (Monica Lewinsky) started work as an intern with the White House Chief of Staff, she caught the eye of president Bill Clinton.
Their relationship began just three months after she was hired and lasted for about two years.
The affair was uncovered after Lewinsky confided in Pentagon employee Linda Tripp, who had secretly recorded their conversations.
Tripp later received death threats and was reportedly taken to a safe house.
After reports surfaced on the internet of the extramarital affair, Lewinsky was summoned to court but denied it was true and refused to discuss the affair.
She was later offered immunity in exchange for a full statement, and in August 1998, Clinton became the first sitting president to appear before a grand jury in relation to his conduct.
Immediately after this, he made a statement on national TV admitting to having indecent relations with Lewinsky.
Stephen Glass: He was a young and hungry reporter with The New Republic whose writing was always praised.
The only problem was that most of his stories were proven to be fabricated and partly plagiarised.
Many of the companies, quotes and conferences he mentioned in his articles were false and in some cases, impossible to verify.
His downfall began when certain companies he featured started sending letters to the editor, saying Glass’s articles were inaccurate and that the truth had been twisted.
In 1998, Glass wrote a powerful piece titled Hack Heaven about a teenager who hacked into a major software company called Jukt Micronics.
But instead of writing that the company filed charges against the teenager, Glass wrote that the company decided to hire him.
This angered law-enforcement agents, who decided to launch a campaign against the decision.
After the article was published in The New Republic and with suspicion surrounding Glass (associate editor at the time) already growing, Forbes writer Adam L. Penneberg decided to test its accuracy.
However, he kept reaching a dead end. Neither could he find any company listed under the name, nor could he trace any protest campaign.
After contacting the FBI, the US Customs Department and various police departments, Penneberg found that the “Centre for Online Investigation” and the “Computer Security Centre” mentioned in the article did not even exist.
Penneberg published his findings, which ultimately led to Glass’s downfall.
Freedom of Press: In 1981, leaders of independent news organisations from more than 21 nations took the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which entitled everyone to freedom of speech and incorporated freedom of press as well.
Thus, codes of journalistic ethics were compiled and adjusted within the legislature of each country, information to journalists could not be restricted and members of the press could enjoy full protection of national and international law.
In the UAE, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, took this a step further and stated that journalists in the country could not be jailed for actions relating to their work.
