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All The President's Men + Los Angeles Times Printing Facility
American kids learn all about the legacies of Washington and Lincoln in history class. To give President's Day a whole different spin, we watched All The President's Men and learned about Watergate. The film follows Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, two novice Washington Post reporters, who were assigned to cover a burglary at the National Democratic Headquarters. Deep Throat, the reporters' anonymous source, tells them "to follow the money" and the rest is well, history. With courage and teamwork, the reporters unwind the political scandal that eventually leads to President Nixon's resignation. Part political thriller and part documentary, this film inspired a generation of reporters by showing the power of the press, the power of the Presidency, and the power of greed.
We wanted our kids to get the inside scoop on how the Los Angeles Times arrives on their doorstep each morning. On a free tour of the printing facility, our daughters were wowed by a room full of robots criss-crossing the floor, like a modern version of The Jetsons. Fascinated, they watched the robotic workers lift enormous reams of paper up to a printing press four stories high. When the tour guide explained that each ream rolled out to almost eight miles of paper, they asked a hard-hitting question: was The Times environmentally conscious? Our tour guide was unflappable; he assured them that over 70% of the paper contains recycled newsprint. The girls learned the logistics of printing a daily paper, including the order of printing: the ads, comics and calendar sections are printed first, so that late night sports scores and breaking news like Democratic National Committee Headquarter burglaries, end up on the front page hours later - just in time for our morning cereal.
- Three out of five kernels because the film required a lot of explanation so the kids could follow the complex story line. That said, this is a must-see for older kids who easily will become caught up in the drama and political intrigue. This film makes real what is often just another chapter in kids' history texts.
- Some quick background facts: the film opens in June 1972 as President Nixon returns from his historic trip to China, just sixteen days before the Watergate break-in. In the end, the scandal was responsible for the indictment of 40 government officials and the first resignation of an American president.
- Deep Throat, the anonymous source that helped out Woodward and Bernstein, made headline news on May 31, 2005. After 30 years of keeping his identity a secret, FBI Associate Director Mark Felt revealed himself.
Want to know how to talk with your kids about this film? Here are some conversation starters:
- Can your kids spot the anachronisms between a newroom then and now? Look for old-fashioned typewriters, telephones, hair styles and a smoke-filled work place.
- Notice how this film uses both historical and fictional elements: clips of television interviews and real news footage are interspersed with scenes by the actors.
- Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman were the Ben Affleck and Matt Damon of their day. Redford, who purchased the rights to Woodward and Bernstein's book All The President's Men, co-produced the film after his acting success in The Sting and The Way We Were.
- All the President's Men won 4 Oscars in 1976; the film lost the Best Picture Oscar to Rocky. It was primarily shot on a $450,000 set which replicated The Washington Post newsroom.
2000 East 8th Street
Los Angeles, 90021
Contact: 213-237-5757 or www.losangelestimes.com
Hours: Tour hours vary; call for reservations.
Time allotment: 2 hours
- Five out of five kernels because watching the robots load paper onto the presses was cool. The only negative was that our younger boys couldn't join us; the paper restricts the tour to kids over 10.
- Free tours are offered during the week, so reserve at least a week ahead. This is a great adventure for an odd day off from school or for a group excursion. Groups of up to 20 are welcome.
- Wear rubber-soled shoes as the floors are slippery in the printing facility.
- We also toured the editorial facilities of the Los Angeles Times (201 West First Street, Los Angeles, 90012). On view are all the newsrooms for the various sections of the paper, from news to book review. There was no one at the sports desk because most sports reporters cover night time games and submit their stories straight from their laptops at the game. The Times boasts one of two test kitchens in the country where professional home economists test each recipe to be sure it will work in your home kitchen.
Want to help your children learn more about their city? Here are some tidbits:
- The Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan paper in the country, printing close to one million papers each weekday and almost 1.4 million on Sundays. The Times was first published on December 4, 1881 under the name of the Los Angeles Daily Times. In June 2000, The Times was acquired by the Tribune Company.
- Help your kids get their first by-line. The Times has a wonderful section called "The Kids' Reading Room" (weekly on the back of the Calendar Section; Sundays on the back of the Comics) that welcomes submissions from children. Both of our kids sent in jokes (three years apart), and both had them published within the week.
BEYOND LOS ANGELES:
- Orange County: Free tours are also available of the Los Angeles Times Printing facility in Costa Mesa. Call: (714) 966-5963 for reservations.
- Give your kids notepads and pencils and ask them to be reporters during the tour. If they want to write up their experience for a school report, they will have plenty of details.
- The printing facility is just outside of downtown Los Angeles. It's a quick drive to Chinatown, Little Japan, or The Grand Central Market.
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- Read Woodward and Bernstein's first article in the Washington Post.
- More from the Washington Post regarding this infamous story; includes political cartoons from the era and a Watergate timeline;
- The Pulitzer Prize is journalism's highest award. You can search their archives for past story winners.
- Quiz yourself on the week's news at the New York Time's online learning center.