Deep Throat was a very unfortunate name given to the source by the managing editor of the Washington Post

Deep Throat was a very unfortunate name given to the source by the managing editor of the Washington Post

Deep Throat was the infamous anonymous source who provided crucial information to Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein during their investigation of the Watergate scandal in the early 1970s. The name "Deep Throat" was given to the source by Woodward and Bernstein's managing editor at the Washington Post, Ben Bradlee. While the moniker has become synonymous with whistleblowers and anonymous sources in journalism, it was actually a very unfortunate choice of name given the nature of the information being provided.

The name "Deep Throat" was a reference to a popular pornographic film of the time, which was released in 1972, just a few months before the Watergate scandal broke. The film was known for its explicit content and controversial subject matter, and associating the source of such serious and important information with a pornographic film was certainly not the most tactful decision. In fact, it has been suggested that the choice of name may have been a deliberate attempt to add an element of intrigue and mystery to the story, but it ultimately overshadowed the gravity of the information being revealed.

Despite the questionable choice of name, Deep Throat's information was instrumental in uncovering the extent of the corruption and cover-up within the Nixon administration. The source provided Woodward and Bernstein with key details about the Watergate break-in and subsequent cover-up, leading to a series of groundbreaking articles that ultimately led to President Nixon's resignation in 1974.