Carl Bernstein (born February 14, 1944) is an American journalist who, as an investigative reporter for The Washington Post along with Bob Woodward, broke the story of the Watergate break-in and consequently helped bring about the resignation of US president Richard Nixon. For his role in breaking the scandal, Bernstein received many awards; his work earned the Post a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1973.
Bernstein quit The Washington Post in 1976. He worked as a senior correspondent for the ABC network, taught at New York University, and contributed to Time. In 1981, he returned to the Post as assistant managing editor for investigations.
Bernstein authored two books with Woodward: All the President's Men, which detailed the successes and failures of their journalistic efforts against the backdrop of the unfolding scandal, and The Final Days, a recounting of the concluding months of the Nixon presidency. He co-authored the book His Holiness: John Paul II & the History of Our Time with Marco Politi. He is said to be working on a biography of Hillary Rodham Clinton, and following the May 2005 revelation of the identity of Deep Throat, Bernstein contributed to Woodward's book The Secret Man, which deals with Woodward's relationship with Mark Felt.
Bernstein graduated from Montgomery Blair High School.
Carl Bernstein's second wife was Nora Ephron; a character from her book and movie Heartburn was a thinly-veiled portrayal of him. He was portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the film version of All the President's Men. He was also portrayed by Bruce McCulloch in the 1999 comedy film Dick.