{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/media/bob-woodward-memoir-names-sources-for-the-brethren","slug":"bob-woodward-memoir-names-sources-for-the-brethren","url":"https://mediabias.news/media/bob-woodward-memoir-names-sources-for-the-brethren","title":"Bob Woodward memoir names sources for 'The Brethren'","subtitle":"New book 'Secrets' reveals identities of Supreme Court justices and others who provided information","excerpt":"Bob Woodward's upcoming memoir, 'Secrets,' identifies confidential sources from his 55-year career. The book names five Supreme Court justices who spoke to him for his 1979 book 'The Brethren' and details how he obtained a key document related to the U.S. v. Nixon case.","category":"Media","area":null,"publishedAt":"2026-10-27T02:45:39.336Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-10-27T01:28:26.095Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-27T02:45:39.336Z","readTime":"3 min read","scores":{"trust":50,"critic":45,"hype":20,"notes":{"trust":"The central claim is attributed to Bob Woodward's memoir, with specific justices named in one report.","critic":"The story is reported clearly, but lacks quotes from anyone affected or a right of reply.","hype":"The presentation is measured, with headlines accurately reflecting the content of the reports."}},"tags":["#BobWoodward","#Secrets","#TheBrethren","#SupremeCourt","#Journalism"],"entities":["Bob Woodward","Scott Armstrong","Potter Stewart","Lewis Powell","Byron White","Harry Blackmun","William Rehnquist","Steven Goldberg","William J. Casey"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["Bob Woodward's new memoir, 'Secrets,' will reveal the identities of confidential sources from his career.","The book names five Supreme Court justices who provided information for his 1979 book 'The Brethren'.","Woodward also details how he obtained a 75-page case history concerning the U.S. v. Nixon deliberations.","The memoir also recounts an encounter with CIA Director William J. Casey."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Bob Woodward is set to publish a new memoir titled \"Secrets,\" which will identify confidential sources from his 55-year career. The book details how Woodward and Scott Armstrong interviewed five of the nine Supreme Court justices for their 1979 book \"The Brethren,\" which examined the inner workings of the court under Chief Justice Warren Burger. At the time of \"The Brethren's\" publication, Woodward and Armstrong stated they had interviewed five justices and 170 former law clerks, but these sources were kept anonymous. Woodward writes in his memoir that people rarely shared secrets on the record, especially as events were unfolding."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The five justices named in \"Secrets\" as sources for \"The Brethren\" are Potter Stewart, Lewis Powell, Byron White, Harry Blackmun, and William Rehnquist. All are now deceased. Woodward's memoir also recounts how he obtained a 75-page case history detailing the court's deliberations in the landmark 1974 U.S. v. Nixon case. Woodward learned of the document's existence from Steven Goldberg, a former law clerk. Goldberg initially refused to provide a copy, but Woodward persuaded him to read it aloud while Woodward took notes. Woodward then took the document, made a photocopy, and returned the original the next morning."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"The memoir also includes an account of an encounter with CIA Director William J. Casey. Woodward writes about entering Casey's room at Georgetown Hospital in 1987 and obtaining a bedside confession regarding the diversion of profits from arms sales behind the Iran-contra scandal. Woodward's 1987 book on the subject had faced accusations from some CIA leaders and Casey's widow that he had fabricated this encounter."},{"type":"heading","text":"Disagreement on sources for \"The Brethren\""},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Reason reports that Woodward's sources for \"The Brethren\" were \"all the conservatives on the Court,\" noting that Woodward apparently did not speak with Justices Brennan, Marshall, or Stevens. Reason suggests that while Brennan may not have spoken directly to Woodward, one of Brennan's clerks may have leaked a critical document about the Watergate Tape Case. No other reports mention a disagreement about which justices spoke to Woodward."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of the reports below mention the specific details of Bob Woodward's encounter with CIA Director William J. Casey, other than that it is included in the memoir. The full report from Reason provides details of this encounter, including the location and the nature of the confession obtained."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"aljazeera.net","url":"https://aljazeera.net/politics/2026/10/27/%d8%af%d9%87%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a%d8%b2-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b3%d9%84%d8%b7%d8%a9-%d8%a8%d9%88%d8%a8-%d9%88%d9%88%d8%af%d9%88%d8%b1%d8%af-%d9%8a%d9%83%d8%b4%d9%81-%d8%a3%d8%b3%d8%b1%d8%a7%d8%b1","headline":"Dallas Power Woodward Reveals Half a Century of Press Investigations.","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-27T01:28:26.095Z"},{"sourceName":"Utopia - you are standing in it!","url":"https://utopiayouarestandinginit.com/2026/10/27/bob-woodward-reveals-he-spoke-with-justices-stewart-powell-white-blackmun-and-rehnquist-for-the-brethren","headline":"Bob Woodward Reveals He Spoke With Justices Stewart, Powell, White, Blackmun, and Rehnquist for “The Brethren”","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-27T01:24:39.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Newser","url":"https://newser.com/story/398829/woodward-reveals-sources-behind-a-famous-nixon-scene.html","headline":"Woodward Reveals Sources Behind a Famous Nixon Scene","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T18:55:15.556Z"},{"sourceName":"Reason","url":"https://reason.com/volokh/2026/10/26/bob-woodward-reveals-he-spoke-with-justices-stewart-powell-white-blackmun-and-rehnquist-for-the-brethren","headline":"Bob Woodward Reveals He Spoke With Justices Stewart, Powell, White, Blackmun, and Rehnquist for \"The Brethren\"","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T16:06:20.401Z"},{"sourceName":"mediagazer.com","url":"https://mediagazer.com/261026/p11","headline":"Bob Woodward reveals in his upcoming memoir, Secrets, the identities of many confidential sources who provided classified info throughout his 55-year career (Craig Whitlock/Washington Post)","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T15:15:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Political Wire","url":"https://politicalwire.com/2026/10/26/bob-woodward-spills-his-secrets","headline":"Bob Woodward Spills His ‘Secrets’","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T14:46:36.000Z"},{"sourceName":"3 Quarks Daily","url":"https://3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2026/10/bob-woodward-spills-his-secrets.html","headline":"Bob Woodward spills his ‘Secrets’","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T13:07:30.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Seattle Times","url":"https://seattletimes.com/nation-world/bob-woodward-spills-his-secrets","headline":"Bob Woodward spills his ‘Secrets’ in upcoming book","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T13:02:02.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Washington Post","url":"https://washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/10/26/bob-woodward-spills-secrets-his-journalism-career-new-memoir","headline":"Bob Woodward spills his ‘Secrets’","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-26T10:00:00.000Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":67,"centre":33,"right":0},"count":{"left":4,"centre":2,"right":0},"totalSources":9,"untracked":3,"rated":6,"observedAt":"2026-10-27T05:15:16.698955+00:00"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-10-27T05:30:09.988Z","closedAt":null,"checks":11,"changes":0,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":["Left-rated reports from aljazeera.net, Newser, The Seattle Times, and The Washington Post highlighted that Bob Woodward is revealing confidential sources in his upcoming memoir \"Secrets.\" These reports noted that the book covers his 55-year career and includes information about his investigations into Watergate and other files. 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