“What's that got to do with anything?”
Why it's great
A short counter-question that calls out an irrelevant attack without raising its voice.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
What's that got to do with the deadline we agreed on?
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00:00 / 03:32
Who Gets the Watergate Story, Explained
All the President's Men · 1976
Chapter 3 of 18 · 3'32"
Rosenfeld and Simons are deciding who should run with the Watergate break-in, and the real argument is about hunger. "Howard, they're hungry," one editor says, defending two young reporters nobody trusts yet. The scene ends with those same reporters fighting over a single paragraph.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:26–0:50
The Case for Two Hungry Reporters
24s
Who Gets the Watergate Story, explained
What happens
In the Washington Post newsroom, editors debate whether Woodward and Bernstein deserve to keep the Watergate break-in story. One calls Woodward green but relentless; another remembers threatening to fire Bernstein. Once the assignment is settled, the two reporters collide over a draft, each rewriting the other's copy without asking.
What's really going on
The newsroom runs on a simple currency: hunger. Woodward has been at the paper nine months and still gets dismissed as a "humper," so his defenders argue in the only language that matters to an editor. "Howard, they're hungry. You remember when you were hungry?" That line is the whole scene. Rosenfeld is not praising talent; he is saying appetite beats experience, because nobody else wants this story yet. The break-in looks like a minor burglary, and a hungry reporter will chase what a comfortable one won't. Minutes later the same hunger turns on itself: two ambitious reporters can't share one byline, so they rewrite each other's paragraphs and trade lines like "I'm not looking for a fight." The paper's future depends on these two, even as they can barely work together.
Key lines & what they mean
- “What's that got to do with anything?”
- A blunt challenge: the other reporter cites nine months at the paper, and this asks why that fact matters at all.
- “I gave yours a glance, it didn't look right, so I figured I'd refine it a little.”
- He admits he barely read the other version and decided on his own to improve it, which is exactly why the other reporter is angry.
- “- Been in the business since I'm 16. - What are you saying?”
- One reporter leans on sixteen years of experience; the other cuts in, hearing a status claim rather than a point about the story.
- “Howard, they're hungry. You remember when you were hungry?”
- The editor's case for the two young reporters: raw appetite, not credentials, is what this story needs right now.
Theme
- Ambition — Two young reporters want the Watergate story badly; editors judge them by appetite, not seniority.
- Power — A handful of editors decide who gets to investigate the White House, and the choice is made in one hallway conversation.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level6/8
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“I gave yours a glance, it didn't look right, so I figured I'd refine it a little.”
Why it's great
It makes rewriting someone else's work sound offhand, as if a quick glance justified it.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
I gave your slides a glance and tidied the numbers.
“- Been in the business since I'm 16. - What are you saying?”
Why it's great
The dropped subject makes the boast sound casual, which only sharpens the point.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
Been in the kitchen since I was twelve, so I know a rushed order.
“Howard, they're hungry. You remember when you were hungry?”
Why it's great
He shields two young reporters by turning ambition into hunger and reminding the boss of his own.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
You remember when you were broke and needed a chance?
Up next · 04get to someoneThe scene: Librarian Recants to WoodwardTakeaways
What you walk away with- All over the map adds a note of no clear plan.
- Give something a glance means a quick, casual look.
- The counter-question dodges an irrelevant attack.
- Now that ties a result to a change of situation.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhy do the editors give the Watergate story to Woodward and Bernstein?
Nobody more senior wants it. The break-in looks like a minor burglary, so the only reporters pushing for it are the two young, hungry ones the editors half-trust.
Who is the "humper" the editors are arguing about?
Woodward. The word mocks him as a grinder who chases small stories hard, which is also the reason he gets the assignment.
Why is Bernstein reading Woodward's copy?
He thinks it's fuzzy and rewrites it without being asked. Woodward objects, then admits Bernstein was right about putting Colson's name up front.
Does Woodward really want the story that badly?
Yes. "He wants on the story bad," an editor says, and the hunger argument is what settles the decision in their favor.