The Daily Orange spoke with Harry Rosenfeld, a former Washington Post editor, about his time at Syracuse University and his work at the Washington Post, including his part in the coverage of the Watergate scandal.

The Daily Orange: What inspired you to write your recent book, “From Kristallnacht to Watergate: Memoirs of a Newspaperman?”

Harry Rosenfeld: First of all I wanted to leave the story of my life and times for my family, that’s how it began. But when I got into it I was convinced by people and my family that this was more than just a story that should be written for my family, that this was a tale that resonates in the American experience. An immigrant boy comes here and more or less makes good and so forth. So then I switched gears a little bit and dropped some of the personal detail that I might have included and focused more on my career.

The D.O.: In journalism today, experience is a big factor. Why did you decide to give Bob Woodward a trial at the Washington Post before he had any experience in journalism?

Rosenfeld: Well what played in that decision that was unique for me was that he had been recommended for an interview by the president of the (Washington) Post. I normally wouldn’t see anyone without any experience, but when the president of the company recommends him, I have to as a courtesy. But in the interview he was personally impressive. He was also earnest, straightforward, he had manners and he was smart. So I decided to do something that I had never done, and I don’t think I ever did it afterwards, and give him a two-week tryout in order to show that I had went the whole nine yards.

The D.O.: Can you go into detail about what your role was in helping Woodward and Bernstein report the Watergate scandal?

Rosenfeld: I was the editor in charge of the operation so I was the editor in charge of the investigation. First of all we determined that we would stay with the story. A lot of people took one kiss and went on to the next (story). We did not. The investigative reporting was by and large Woodward and Bernstein. I made sure that their work was right.

The D.O.: How would you say your time at Syracuse University helped you in the newspaper industry?

Rosenfeld: Well it helped me in my life in general. For me, Syracuse was a transforming experience. It enlarged my view of the world and my understanding of it, both through literature and public policy courses. I owe an enormous amount to my years at Syracuse. You could say that it made me the kind of person that I became.

The D.O.: Do you think newspapers are a dying breed?

Rosenfeld: I hope that they’re not a dying breed, but they may be a dying breed. The answer to me is uncertain. They have already been severely impacted; even the best newspapers have been hit hard like The New York Times, the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. They are going to have to see if something is there still. There are those people who think it’s now the end of newspapers, while other people think they’ve now hit rock bottom and are going to start coming up again. Common sense tells you that they may not be sufficient anymore.

The D.O.: What advice would you give to someone that is preparing to get into the newspaper industry?

Rosenfeld: You know, when I came up I thought it was hard for me. It took me a lot of years to bust out of the shipping room and into the newsroom. And I think it’s so much harder for people today, I cant even imagine, the opportunities have shrunken so much. So, be as smart as you can be. You know you have brains so use your brain. It’s going to depend on what contacts you have, what luck comes your way and what opportunities your are presented with. Stick with it and persevere.

The D.O.: Since you have been in the newspaper business up to now, has journalism evolved for the better with all this new technology, or for the worse?

Rosenfeld: Today, I get a powerful sense of fragmentation that has both social consequences, political consequences and in our terms, journalism consequences. Journalism can deteriorate into this gossipy what-is-this-bit, what-is-that-bit. The reason that journalism is important is because it’s supposed to be an executor under the First Amendment to keep its eye on the powerful and if it doesn’t do that then it isn’t journalism, not the journalism that I want. So if you want to use Twitter, then use it, but do it seriously and not say what your opinion is on what you think should happen or what you think might have happened to create some narrative. You have to find out the facts, all of the facts.

Published on September 17, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Michael: mpassala@syr.edu