Bob Woodward is regarded as one of America’s preeminent investigative reporters and non-fiction authors. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter and is currently an associate editor there. While a young reporter for the Post in 1972, Woodward first gained international attention when he teamed up with Carl Bernstein to cover the Watergate scandal. Using their investigative reporting skills, Woodward and Bernstein eventually found proof that the break-in was tied to the Nixon administration, and that the efforts to cover it up had been directed by President Nixon himself.
In 1973 Woodward and Bernstein shared a Pulitzer Prize for their reporting, and the two co-wrote a 1974 best-selling account of the Watergate scandal, All the President’s Men. Since then, Woodward has won nearly every American journalism award for his ability to shine a light on the inner workings of the Nation's capital. Woodward has written about the last nine U.S. presidents and chronicled how the power of the presidency has evolved. He is the author of 20 bestselling books – 14 went to #1 – more than any other contemporary nonfiction writer. In 2002, the journalistic icon received a second Pulitzer for his national reporting on the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
In 1961, Woodward enrolled in Yale University, but had no idea that he was interested in journalism. Instead, he arrived on a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) scholarship and balanced his time with academics and social organizations. While at Yale, Woodward joined the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and was a member of the secret society Book and Snake. But his writing was mostly limited to his work with the Yale Banner. In 1965, he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and English literature.
Over the years Woodward has returned to Yale at the requests of Yale students wishing to learn from his career, such as when the internationally renowned journalist visited the Yale Daily News in 2010 for a Q&A. There, Woodward shared his advice for aspiring reporters, saying, "Go to the scene — no matter where it is, no matter what you’re doing…Go to the scene; human sources; and documents, books, Internet, and so forth — there’s not a story you do or would do that shouldn’t have elements of all three."
Woodward had similar tips for students when he was asked to return to campus in 2010 and 2015 for public events held at Yale Law School. But perhaps the biggest and best news came when it was announced that the legendary journalist would start teaching classes at his alma mater. In 2013 university leaders made the announcement that Woodward would start teaching at Yale, using his 40+ years of experience to instruct the students about the intensive and immersive reporting method he developed throughout his prolific career.