Award-winning journalists Bill Minutaglio and Alicia Shepard discussed their investigations of the lives of three of Washington's most prominent and guarded figures with students, teachers and the public Monday night in a lecture at the UT School of Law.Minutaglio, who wrote about the life of current U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in his book, "The President's Counselor: The Rise to Power of Alberto Gonzales," said Gonzales has always been guarded about his private life, even as a child.
"I believe we have determined that Alberto Gonzales is genetically coded to be discreet," Minutaglio said.
Shepard, who spent the last school year as a visiting professor at UT while writing her book, "Woodward and Bernstein: Life in ! the Sha dow of Watergate," said that journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's privacy during and after the Watergate scandal helped propel them to international fame.
"Both [Woodward] and Carl benefited tremendously from the public's awareness of this source, 'Deep Throat,' and the fact that they had kept it a secret," Shepard said.
Although both Minutaglio and Shepard agreed that Gonzales, Woodward and Bernstein have very different personalities, they pointed out that the men are guarded when it comes to the media's portrayal of them.
Woodward and Bernstein, Shepard said, were reluctant to talk with her throughout the writing process.
"[They] had a hard time being on the other side of the notebook," Shepard said.
Minutaglio said he encountered the same problem in writing the biography as Gonzales repeatedly declined to answer any questions.
"He is the most private figure I can think of above the cloud line in Washington," Minutaglio said.