At age 85, Harry Rosenfeld is still as passionate about the truth as he was when he oversaw the Washington Post’s coverage of the Watergate scandal 42 years ago.

“Journalism is not dealing in truth,” Rosenfeld said, “(but) questing for the truth.”

Rosenfeld, a 1952 Syracuse University graduate, returned to his alma mater Tuesday afternoon to discuss his new book “From Kristallnacht to Watergate: Memoirs of a Newspaperman,” his experience covering the Watergate scandal and the current state of journalism.

Rosenfeld worked as an editor of the New York Herald Tribune before it ceased publication. Shortly after, he was hired by the Washington Post, first as a foreign editor, then as an editor of the metropolitan section. There, Rosenfeld worked closely with Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein on reporting the Watergate scandal.

The event saw a turnout of more than 60 people, leaving only a few seats left open in the Newhouse I-3 Center. Samuel Gorovitz, a professor of philosophy, and Roy Gutterman, director of the Tully Center for Free Speech, co-hosted the talk. Rosenfeld primarily took questions from the audience during the hour-long event.

Many of the questions were about Watergate and how Rosenfeld handled it as an editor. One audience member asked Rosenfeld if he thought Watergate would have been uncovered today, given the way the journalism industry has changed.

Because of the current state of the Internet, Rosenfield said he thought Watergate would have been uncovered more quickly, but the reporting would not have been as thorough.

The Washington Post’s reporting did not cause Nixon to resign, he added, but the persistence of the paper’s reporting caused Congress “to finally stop playing games.” Congress had the power to subpoena witnesses and have them hold up their right hand and swear under oath, not the Washington Post, he said.

“I can promise you, my life would have been a lot simpler as an editor if I had subpoena power,” Rosenfeld said, drawing laughs from the audience.

Rosenfeld also discussed the Obama administration’s handling of journalists.

“The Obama administration is one of the most oppressive administrations when it comes to freedom of the press,” he said. “It is one of the most selective as to the information that it wants in and that it wants out.”

Many students such as Michael Riccardi, a freshman political philosophy and international relations major, chose to come to the event because of Rosenfeld’s reputation.

“I chose to come see him because I’ve always had a passion for journalism and I think he is an icon for journalism,” he said. “He’s a glimpse into the past for all of the stuff that went on during Watergate and is one of the only people who can tell the story authentically.”

Rachel Gilbert, a freshman newspaper and online journalism major, said she thought Rosenfeld provided an interesting insight on journalism styles, how journalism has evolved and one man’s perspective on telling the truth.

Throughout Rosenfeld’s talk, truth was always stressed as the most important quality in a journalist.

“Truth is an important word,” Rosenfeld said. “It isn’t the end of the story — it’s the beginning of the story.”

Published on September 17, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Michael: mpassala@syr.edu