All the President’s Men stresses the difficulty of working as a journalist not only in the events of the film, but also in every technical aspect of the film. Multiple shots in the film frame Woodward and Bernstein as small, unimportant parts of the world, doing small work that would be overlooked otherwise. Two shots in particular come to mind in this regard. The first is when the two are in the Library of Congress, combing through receipts and records of who checked out what and when they did it. The camera pulls back to the ceiling, showing Woodward and Bernstein as just two small parts of the world, in danger of being lost amongst the crowd and their work along with it. However, the sound of the cardstock flipping against itself and papers being sorted drowns out any ambient noise coming from the world around them. This serves to underscore the importance of not only journalistic integrity and work ethic, but also reminds the audience that the actions of these two small, unassuming reporters will echo throughout the city of Washington and the United States itself for years to come.

The second shot I think of is one that frames a TV showing Nixon’s nomination as the Republican candidate on the left 75% of the frame and very close up in the foreground, but Woodward is still visible in the background on the right-hand side of the frame, typing away on the story. The juxtaposition of the pageantry of the RNC with Woodward at his desk working further stresses the smallness of what journalists actually do. Journalists do not do what they do for glory, for attention, for power, like politicians do. They give up their nights, they miss out on celebrations, they forfeit their free time as news can strike at any moment. Even still, Woodward plugs away, the sound of his typewriter ringing out just as loud as the celebrations screaming out from the television set. When compared to the pomp and circumstance of politicians, Woodward and Bernstein are willing to let their words and research speak for themselves. They are interested in only what they know and can prove.