Watergate
Key Terms
Court Cases, Acts, Laws, and Amendments
Types of stories
100

Who was the President responsible for the Watergate Scandal?

Richard Nixon


100

What is a muckraker?

Journalists and novelists who dug up dirt to expose public eye officials.

100

Which amendment to the US Constitution prevents the government from censoring the media?

The 1st Amendment.

100

What are routine stories?

It is the media stories about events that are regularly covered by reporters.

200

Two writers of the Washington Post who dug deeper into the story?

Carl Berstein and Bob Woodward 

200

What is Yellow Journalism?

Journalism based on sensationalism and crude exaggeration.

200

What is the Telecommunications Act.

It was made an act to promote competition, reduce regulations in order to secure lower prices and higher quality services for telecommunications consumers.

200

What is a feature story?

A feature story is a piece of non-fiction writing about news.

300

What type of stories exposed the Watergate Scandal during the Nixon administration.

Insider stories. 

300

What is trail balloon?

Tentative measure or statement made to see how public will react.

300

What Act grants public access to documents or other data in the possession of a government agency or public authority, unless the information falls into a category that is specifically excluded from the terms of the legislation.

Freedom of Information Act

300

What are insider stories?

A type of news story that involves information not usually made public which requires investigative work on the part of a reporter or a leak by some public official.

400

On what date does Richard Nixon announce that he is to resign. 

August 8, 1974 

400

What is associated press?

A group of newspapers who formed a group to promote cooperative news by gathering wire.

400

Which Supreme Court Case established the standard, which has to be met before press reports about public officials can be considered to be libel.

New York Times Co. v. Sullivan

400

What is on/off the record?

On the record: This means that everything in the conversation can be used and attributed to your source by name and job title. 

Off the record: The information provided is not for publication. However, the information you provide can be used without attribution to verify its veracity with another source. Off-the-record conversations work best in one-on-one situations. 

500

What was the name of the security guard that caught the burglars.

Frank Wills

500

What is defamation?

Act of good reputation of someone; slander

500

What Supreme Court case made it possible for The New York Times and The Washington Post newspapers to publish the then-classified Pentagon Papers without risk of government censorship or punishment.

New York Times v. U.S.

500

What is on (deep) background?

On background: It means that a reporter can use the information you give them, but cannot name or quote you directly.

On deep background: It means that the information may not be included in the article but is used by the journalist to enhance his or her view of the subject matter, or to act as a guide to other leads or sources.

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