Bob Woodward has won nearly every American journalism award including two Pulitzer Prizes. Woodward won his first Pulitzer for his work with Carl Bernstein on the Watergate scandal. Later, Woodward received his second Pulitzer for his reporting on the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks.
Presidential Reporting
In addition, he has written about the last ten U.S. presidents, chronicling the conversations, trials, and decisions the American public wouldn’t have known otherwise. Interestingly, his books also serve as a throughline into how the power of the presidency has evolved since the 70’s. He is the author of 22 bestselling books. In fact, 16 of those bestsellers went to #1, more than any other contemporary nonfiction writer. Those #1 books are:
- All the President’s Men (1974) and The Final Days (1976), both Watergate books co-authored with Bernstein;
- The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court (1979) co-authored with Scott Armstrong;
- Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi (1984);
- Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA 1981-87 (1987);
- The Commanders (1991);
- The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House (1994);
- Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate (1999);
- Bush at War (2002);
- Plan of Attack (2004);
- State of Denial: Bush at War Part III (2006);
- Obama’s Wars (2010);
- Fear: Trump in the White House (2018);
- Rage (2020);
- Peril (2021) co-authored with Robert Costa;
- and The Trump Tapes (2022).
A Remarkable Look Into Washington
No one else in political investigative journalism has the clout, respect, and reputation of Woodward. He has a way of getting insiders to open up in ways that reveal an intimate yet sweeping portrayal of Washington and the intricacies of political infighting, war waging, the price of politics, presidential leadership, homeland security efforts, and so much more. His meticulous work draws on internal memos, classified documents, meeting notes, and hundreds of hours of recorded interviews with key players, including the president. Six of Woodward’s books have been excerpted by Newsweek for cover stories; eight of his books have been covered by 60 Minutes; and three of his books have been made into feature films. Currently, Bob works as associate editor for The Washington Post, where he’s been since 1971.
Esteemed Praise for Bob Woodward
Former CIA director and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said he wished he’d recruited Woodward into the CIA: “He has an extraordinary ability to get otherwise responsible adults to spill [their] guts to him…his ability to get people to talk about stuff they shouldn’t be talking about is just extraordinary and may be unique.”
Bob Schieffer of CBS News said, “Woodward has established himself as the best reporter of our time. He may be the best reporter of all time.”
Lloyd Green wrote in a review for The Guardian that Fear “depicts a White House awash in dysfunction, where the Lord of the Flies is the closest thing to an owner’s manual.”
The Weekly Standard called Woodward “the best pure reporter of his generation, perhaps ever.”
In 2003, Al Hunt of The Wall Street Journal called Woodward “the most celebrated journalist of our age.”
In listing the all-time 100 best non-fiction books, Time magazine has called All the President’s Men, by Bernstein and Woodward, “Perhaps the most influential piece of journalism in history.”
Keynote Speaking
As a speaker, Woodward pulls the curtain back on Washington and its leaders. He captivates audiences with stories that are sometimes surprising, at times shocking, and always fascinating. He blends up-to-the-minute stories with historical context and helps people get behind the media’s spin to understand what’s really going on in America’s halls of power. In an age of 24-hour news, social media, and snarky politics, Bob Woodward is one of the few non-partisan truth seekers left.
In his speeches, Woodward looks at the expanding powers of the presidency and the important lessons that can be learned from the presidents he’s covered. He can also assess the role of the media and how well it is (or isn’t) doing its job. Organizations that hire Bob Woodward will be awe-struck by the insights from this living journalistic legend.
