A Third-Rate Burglary.

The 17 June 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office and apartment complex in Washington, D.C., made few headlines at first. Over the next few years the implications of the failed burglary came to dominate the newspapers, as it did the media in general. The Washington Post in particular revealed information about the case that led to the resignation of President Nixon and prison terms for several members of his staff. Nixon had used the media effectively for most of his political career: for instance, his 1972 visits to China, the Soviet Union, and Poland were all televised, bolstering his image as a skillful statesman capable of easing Cold War tensions. With Watergate such skills failed, and the media helped lead to his downfall.

All the President's Men.

The five men who were caught bugging the...