Yesterday, one of the biggest mysteries of the 20th century came to a close. No, the second gunman on the grassy knoll didn't turn up to put to rest controversy over the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. No, the police didn't find the killers of rappers the Notorious B.I.G. or Tupac Shakur. What did indeed happen was that "Deep Throat," the most famous anonymous source in journalism, unexpectedly revealed himself to the press.
Former FBI Deputy Chief W. Mark Felt, known to the world then as Deep Throat, leaked information about President Richard Nixon's involvement in the Watergate scandal to now-famous Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Their articles initiated investigations that led to Nixon's impeachment and eventual resignation.
This revelation comes as anticlimactic for a number of reasons. First of all, many younger people who missed out on the Nixon era probably aren't familiar with the names Woodward and Bernstein and might well think that Deep Throat is just a porno flick from the '70s.
Secondly, Woodward and Bernstein said from the beginning they would not reveal Deep Throat's true identity until after his death. But after Felt's announcement to the magazine Vanity Fair, the mystery died. So much for that.
For the sake of integrity, Woodward and Bernstein should've stuck to their guns and refrained from commenting on the matter. After all, journalists are constantly under fire for issues of credibility. Whether or not Felt wanted to reveal his identity is his own business, but it's journalists' business to protect their sources. Keeping the promise would've been a better idea.
It's understandable that Felt wanted to be known. His family and friends are now able to look up to him, and there might even be a book-writing contract in the mix. Nevertheless, this ending is disappointing.
On the up side, there could be interesting new historical information available now that the cat is out of the bag. Felt might bring to light some unknown facts about the Nixon administration and the politics of Washington insiders. We could learn from this information.
A new generation of people are being exposed to history. People who otherwise wouldn't have given a second thought to the fact that our presidents are sometimes crooks are being reminded of this. A healthy dose of skepticism is always good, and thirty years ago, Woodward, Bernstein and Deep Throat made this known. Thanks, guys.
