On Sept. 15, Bob Woodward, of Watergate and Washington Post fame, published “Rage,” his take on Donald Trump’s presidency amid COVID-19 and a resurgence of Black Lives Matter advocacy. Almost immediately, he faced backlash for withholding critical information regarding Trump’s opinion on COV I D -19.
Trump knowingly withheld information about the severity of COVID-19 from the American public, calling it “deadly stuff” and highly contagious in interviews with Woodward. But Woodward, a Pulitzer-winning journalist, also withheld this same information from the American public.
I don’t know which is worse.
Woodward told the Associated Press (AP) he needed time to ensure Trump’s claims were accurate. When asked why he didn’t share these remarks with a fellow Washington Post reporter pursuing a similar story, Woodward stated the reporter had developed “some pretty important sources” on his own, according to AP.
But Trump first told Woodward what he truly knew about COVID-19 in February. The first American COVID-19 death was Feb. 29, according to the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. As of Sept. 29, 204,598 people have died of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Woodward had 18 conversations with Trump between December and July, according to AP. Woodward had fact-checked Trump’s claims about COVID-19 by May.
It’s impossible to know how many lives could have been saved if Woodward had shared this information with someone — another journalist, the public, anybody — sooner, but it’s hard not to wonder. And as a young journalist who was inspired to pursue this career by Woodward himself, it’s hard not to feel utterly betrayed.
“Rage” is not only an accurate title for Woodward’s book and the tale it tells, but of the reactions of journalists nationwide who saw the breaking news withheld for months and could only wonder “why?” in vain.
I know this industry is far from perfect. There are so many things I want to change and, given time, I’m sure I’ll make my dent eventually. In the past, journalists have saved details for upcoming books. This is hardly new. But given the quite literal life-or-death situation COVID-19 presents, not allowing information to become public knowledge as soon as it has been fact checked feels like a blatant ethical violation.
I’ve been lucky. To my knowledge, none of my family members or friends have died from COVID-19. I am at higher risk for complications since I have asthma, and I’ve been lucky enough to avoid infection for the past few months.
But I’ve watched the COVID-19 case counts tick higher and higher every single day since March, and now I can’t help but wonder how many of those lives could have been saved or left untouched by this disease had Woodward spoken up sooner. It makes my soul ache.
I can’t change the past, but I can change the future, as can all my co-workers here at The Argonaut and every other student newspaper. Woodward may have failed his ethical obligation to the public, but there are hundreds if not thousands of young journalists ready to step up in his place to inspire generations to come.
Shame on you, Woodward, but I look forward to seeing the power of the young journalists who rise from your ashes.
Lex Miller can be reached at [email protected]