When looking at the historiography of an historical event, one looks at not only what was written about the event but what factors might have influenced the writer or reporter. If the report is a primary source, one needs to look at the factors affecting that person's perspective on the event. If the source is secondary, when the philosophy and political views of the reporter must be considered. Any historic source can carry intended or unintended bias. Other things must be considered, such as the view of the events when the material was recorded, and the overall context of the work when it was written.

             The event known as "Watergate" makes an interesting study of historiography because it was a political event and therefore reporting on it was vulnerable to cultural and political influences. Early on the morning of June 17l, 1972, five men were arrested for attempting a burglary at the National Democratic Headquarters located in the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC. Bob Woodward, city editor for the newspaper the Washington Post, went to cover their arraignment. It turned out that the men had photographic equipment, electronic bugging tools and a lot of cash on them. They did not appear to be ordinary burglars (Woodward & Bernstein, 1974). The resulting coverage of this event and its aftermath in the Washington Post and other media ended up forcing the President, Richard M. Nixon, to resign. The importance of these events makes looking at the historiography of the events and important exercise.

             Woodward and Bernstein's book All the President's Men is their recounting of how they first became involved in the Watergate story and the steps they took to report it. The book tells not only the public events but what they did behind the scenes to find and interview individuals. Newspaper reporters typically keep their sources private. While this allows the reporters to develop contacts without having reporters from other papers find them, it also means that the reader only hears what these individuals have to say through the filters of the reporter and the newspaper publishing the story.