Bob Woodward
Associate Editor, The Washington Postand Author, 23 Bestsellers
Why Book Bob Woodward
“Everyone has their own version of the truth; but there are facts,” says Bob Woodward, who first gained international attention when he and Carl Bernstein uncovered the Watergate scandal in 1973. Since then, Woodward has worked to shine a light on the inner-workings of secret government. His factual, non-partisan revelations to readers and speech audiences provide an unflinching view of Washington leadership they won’t get elsewhere. Woodward has written about the last ten U.S. presidents and whether Democrat or Republican, he has always pursued the best version of the truth with equal vigor. Woodward is author of 23 bestselling books – 17 went to #1 – more than any contemporary nonfiction writer. Currently associate editor for The Washington Post where he’s worked since 1971, Bob Woodward has won nearly every American journalism award including two Pulitzers.
Read More +Read Less −
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.” Therein lays the genius talent of Bob Woodward.
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 political infighting, how we fight wars, the price of politics, how presidents lead, the homeland security efforts, and so much more. His work is meticulous and draws on internal memos, classified documents, meeting notes and hundreds of hours of recorded interviews with most of the key players, including the president. This is why Fear: Trump in the White House sold more than 1.1 million copies in its first week in September 2018 – breaking the 94-year first-week sales record of its publisher Simon & Schuster – and nearly 2 million copies in hardback, e-book, and audio in the first four months.
In October 2022, Woodward did something he’d never done before; he released the complete recordings of his 20 interviews with Donald Trump in audiobook form titled, The Trump Tapes. The audiobook is unique in that the listener gets the opportunity to hear his lengthy and raw interviews as well as exclusive commentary during some of the interviews – to provide vital context or clarification. The Trump Tapes is considered by Simon and Schuster “…as historically important as the Frost/Nixon interviews.”
As a speaker, Woodward pulls the curtain back on Washington and its leaders to captivate audiences with stories that are sometimes surprising, at times shocking, and always fascinating. He blends stories that are both up to the minute and from the past (to provide historical context). Woodward helps people get behind the spin to understand what’s really going on in the halls of power in an age of 24-hour news, social media, and snarky politics.
Professionally, Bob Woodward is currently associate editor for The Washington Post where he’s worked since 1971. He has won nearly every American journalism award, and the Post won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for his work with Carl Bernstein on the Watergate scandal. In addition, Woodward was the main reporter for the Post’s articles on the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks that won the National Affairs Pulitzer Prize in 2002.
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.”
Woodward has co-authored or authored 17 #1 national best-selling non-fiction books. They 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; The Trump Tapes (2022); and War (2024). Woodward’s other national bestselling books are: The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate’s Deep Throat (2005), The Choice (1996), Maestro: Greenspan’s Fed and the American Boom (2000), The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008 (2008), The Price of Politics (2012), and The Last of the President’s Men (2015). Newsweek magazine has excerpted six of Woodward’s books in headline-making cover stories; “60 Minutes” has done pieces on eight of his books; and three of his books have been made into feature films.
In November 2017, the online learning portal MasterClass released “Bob Woodward Teaches Investigative Journalism.” In it, Woodward reveals the lessons he’s learned during his career, and teaches students what truth means, how to uncover it, and how to build a story.
Woodward was born March 26, 1943 in Illinois. He graduated from Yale University in 1965 and served five years as a communications officer in the U.S. Navy before beginning his journalism career at the Montgomery County Sentinel (Maryland), where he was a reporter for one year before joining the Post.
Speech Descriptions
Bob Woodward: Reporting on Power
In the time since he uncovered the Watergate scandal with Carl Bernstein in 1973, Bob Woodward has worked to shine a light on the inner workings of secret government. Reporting on his tenth American president, Woodward looks at the current state of America through the lens of history to help audiences understand how the country got where it is now. His is an in-depth, non-partisan, fact-driven analysis of the inner workings of Washington, the expanding powers of the American presidency, the role and future of the media, and much more. Woodward’s perspective and insights are unmatched and tailored to the interests of the audience. Bob Woodward is best presented in conversation with a moderator.
Speaker Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Bob Woodward is a legendary Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist, associate editor at The Washington Post, bestselling author, and keynote speaker. He first gained international attention when he and Carl Bernstein uncovered the Watergate scandal. Since then, Woodward has reported on 10 U.S. presidents and become one of the most respected chroniclers of the American presidency, Washington, political leadership, and the exercise of power. He is the author of 23 bestselling books, including 17 #1 national bestsellers.
Bob Woodward speaks about the American presidency, political leadership, Washington, investigative journalism, the media, democracy, Watergate, and the pursuit of facts and truth. Drawing on more than five decades of reporting, Woodward takes audiences behind the headlines to examine how presidents and other leaders make consequential decisions, how power operates behind closed doors, and what history can teach us about the challenges facing America today.
Bob Woodward’s primary program, Bob Woodward: Reporting on Power, provides an in-depth, non-partisan, fact-driven examination of Washington and American leadership. His conversations can explore how the presidency has evolved, the state and future of journalism, what is happening inside Washington, lessons from Watergate, comparisons across 10 U.S. presidents, and whether democracy is at risk. His discussion is tailored to the interests of the audience and current events.
Bob Woodward offers audiences something rare: an inside, historically informed view of American power from a journalist who has spent more than 50 years reporting on the people making consequential decisions. From Watergate through his reporting on 10 U.S. presidents, Woodward brings firsthand stories, meticulous reporting, historical context, and a commitment to facts rather than partisan interpretation. He helps audiences look beyond political spin and headlines to better understand how decisions are actually made in Washington.
Bob Woodward is a strong fit for corporate leadership meetings, association conferences, executive programs, universities, financial and professional services events, public policy forums, and organizations seeking a deeper understanding of current affairs, presidential leadership, journalism, democracy, and Washington. His perspective is especially valuable for audiences interested in understanding today’s events through the broader lens of history and fact-based reporting. His past speaking clients span business, professional associations, academia, public policy, and other sectors.
Audiences can expect a fascinating, candid, fact-driven conversation filled with firsthand stories and insights drawn from Bob Woodward’s extraordinary reporting career. He connects current events with historical context, taking audiences inside pivotal moments in presidential administrations and revealing how consequential decisions unfolded behind the scenes. His goal is not to tell audiences what to think, but to provide facts, context, and perspective that help them better understand leadership, power, journalism, and American democracy.
Yes. Bob Woodward’s presentation is tailored to the interests of the audience. His wide-ranging reporting experience allows the conversation to focus on the issues most relevant to an organization’s event, including current events, presidential leadership, Washington, journalism, the media, democracy, Watergate, and lessons from recent American history.
Yes. Bob Woodward is best presented in conversation with a moderator, creating an engaging and interactive format that can explore the issues most relevant to the audience. His appearances can incorporate moderated conversation and audience Q&A, allowing the discussion to move between current events, presidential history, Washington, journalism, leadership, democracy, and stories from his decades of investigative reporting.
Contact the D’Amelio Network to check Bob Woodward’s availability, discuss your audience and event objectives, and begin the booking process.
Ready for more?