Bob Woodward
Bob Woodward is one of the most prolific authors of all time, having published more than two dozen books that detail some of the most influential political stories of the modern era. His work as an investigative journalist has contributed to the collection of Pulitzer prizes, put prominent people in the public spotlight, and shaped the political discourse of both the United States and the world.
Born in Geneva, Illinois on March 26, 1943, Woodward grew up in Washington, D.C., where he lived until his graduation from Yale in 1965. He then served in the United States Navy until he was discharged in 1969, which is when he started a career at The Washington Post.
Woodward first worked at the paper’s city desk, and then he moved up to the national news department, where he had the opportunity to observe the Watergate scandal unfold. As it became more and more of a political scandal, Woodward and his colleague, Carl Bernstein, wrote dozens of articles about the incident, utilising the support of the paper’s editors to break stories that brought public attention to the scandal and eventually forced the downfall of President Nixon.
The pair wrote a bestselling book about their experiences, All the President’s Men, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service and was later adapted into an Academy Award-winning movie. Just a year after his experiences with the paper, Woodward left to become a full-time author and began to produce books that would focus on private lives and political aspirations of a selected few.
Since his departure from the Post, Woodward has been responsible for numerous bestselling books that have won him awards, honors, and recognition. Fear: Trump in the White House, published in 2018, details the negotiations and events of the Trump administration during its first two years in the White House, based on conversations with current and former aides, as well as obtained documents.
Other major books by Woodward include The Price of Politics, Obama’s Wars, Bush at War, The War Within, Bush at War, and Shadow. His books are as influential as his reporting, with Obama’s Wars and The Price of Politics both being bestsellers and Shadow’s contributions to the field of political journalism giving it the Michael Kelly Award for Best Magazine Journalism and the Bernard Baruch Award for Writing on the US Economy.
Woodward has become a prominent figure in journalism, who, to this day, works to uncover and publicise the truth about political events and the people behind them. His career legacy is a testament to the power of accuracy and journalism, and in the many award ceremonies he has spoken at, he has famously said “I believe the purpose of journalism is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable,” which is a sentiment he has lived by throughout his career.
Today, Bob Woodward is still actively writing and publishing books, and his life’s work will continue to be felt in the world of political journalism long after his retirement.
