By LAUREN SEARS
Staff Writer
A former newspaper editor who managed coverage of the Watergate scandal for the Washington Post, and then led Albany’s largest newspaper talked about his new book From Kristallnact to Watergate: Memoirs of a Newspaper Man, at The College of Saint Rose on Monday. Harry Rosenfeld, 84, is an editor at large, consultant and an editorial board member for the Times Union. Rosenfeld was the former Metro editor of Washington Post, where he managed reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein who would become famous during the 1970’s for breaking the Watergate scandal. Rosenfeld recalled the events of Kristallnact to a room filled with complete silence. He became choked up when he talked about arriving in the United States on May 16th, 1939 at the age of 9. Rosenfeld addressed an overflow audience and told the crowd he rose from the life a refugee from Nazi Germany to top editor “because America is a great country.”
Rosenfeld is one of the most accomplished journalists in Albany who came to Saint Rose to talk about Watergate, and how journalism needs to have a place in the future. “Journalism is an essential ingredient in American democracy. You need a hardworking responsible free press to keep seeking the truth” said Rosenfeld. Rosenfeld said about reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein , Rosenfeld said “they did great work and they deserve every award they have received, they earned it.”
The Washington Post won a Pulitzer Gold Medal for their coverage of Watergate. “If it had not been for the reporters and editors and the people at the Post we could have a very, very, different society then we do today, ” said Mary Alice Molgard, professor in Communications the college.
In the film All the Presidents Men, Harry Rosenfeld was played by actor Jack Warden. “What got me into journalism when I saw the adventure in All The Presidents Men, it seemed like such an exciting career…I found it inspiring to hear him (Rosenfeld) speak.” said Cameron Castan, a student at UAlbany.
Community members came to attend the standing room only event. “I find him (Rosenfeld) fascinating, I think he is a treasure and that type of journalism, I don’t know if it’s the future of journalism anymore, but it certainly was representative of what journalism has been in the past.” said Sylvia Lilly, a local librarian. Rosenfeld signed books for event goers before and after his conversation. “I definitely bought the book this afternoon and wanted to hear him speak and also wanted to hear Rex interview him. It was very inspiring,” said Eileen Roach.
Roach graduated from Saint Rose in 2006.
“I loved that Harry was able to reveal to this audience his great story telling ability. he was able to show what real journalism is because he was relating to people not only the story of his life, but the larger meanings of it. Rex Smith. Smith is the editor of the Times Union and the moderator for the conversation with Rosenfeld during the evening. “And I think that is a lot of what journalism is, it’s not just telling people what happened but its giving people the why and the how, and I think that all came out as Harry described his remarkable life, and the experiences he had, I think people drew great lessons from that as well, said Smith.
