Nixon White House compiles an enemies list naming journalists for official pressure

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 2 sources.

Status: historical, as of 2026-09-22.

White House Counsel John Dean wrote a memo on how to use federal agencies against President Nixon's political opponents, and the resulting list of more than 200 names included journalists such as CBS News correspondent Daniel Schorr. It became public during the 1973 Senate Watergate hearings.¹²³

Country: United States (RSF 2026 rank: 64th of 180)
Where: United States
Level of government: National
Tactics: Surveillance and subpoenas, Funding and ownership pressure
Stage: Pressure (see the ladder)
Head of government at the time: Richard Nixon
Issue of the day: Nixon's aides were reacting to sustained critical coverage and commentary from named journalists during his first term, including Mary McGrory's columns, which an internal notation described as habitually critical to the president.
Outcome: Reversed, June 27, 1973. The list became public during John Dean's Senate Watergate Committee testimony, discrediting the effort as Nixon's presidency unraveled over the wider Watergate scandal.
Era: The 1970s

What happened

Staff in President Richard Nixon's White House began compiling a list of political opponents in June 1971. On August 16, 1971, White House Counsel John Dean wrote a memo titled 'Dealing with our Political Enemies,' describing how the administration could use the machinery of the federal government, including the Internal Revenue Service, the United States tax-collection agency, to conduct tax audits and other scrutiny of people and organizations it considered critical. The list grew to more than 200 names by September 1971 and included a media category naming journalists alongside politicians, activists and business figures. CBS News correspondent Daniel Schorr discovered he was number 17 on the list; The Washington Post columnist Mary McGrory was included for what an internal notation called her 'daily hate Nixon articles.' Dean revealed the list during his testimony to the Senate Watergate Committee, the Senate panel investigating the Watergate scandal, on June 27, 1973, making it public for the first time.¹²³

What reason was given

Dean's memo described the effort as a way to use the available machinery of the federal government against people the administration regarded as its political enemies, without citing any specific conduct by the journalists named.¹

What changed for reporting

Journalists named on the list, including Daniel Schorr and Mary McGrory, learned their reporting or commentary had made them targets for the same federal pressure, including possible tax audits, that the administration considered using against other political opponents.²

Timeline

1971

August 16, 1971

Nixon White House compiles an enemies list naming journalists for official pressure

Who acted

Name	Role in this incident	Office at the time
Daniel Schorr	other	Correspondent, CBS News
John Dean	enforced	Counsel to the President of the United States
Mary McGrory	other	Columnist, The Washington Post
Richard Nixon	announced	President of the United States (1969-1974)

Outlets and journalists

Name	Kind	Relation
The Washington Post	outlet	affected

Sources

Nixon's Enemies ListUniversity of North Carolina Library, A Southern View of Watergate exhibit, reporting. Source record
What Was Richard Nixon's 'Enemies List', and Who Was on It?HISTORY (A&E Networks), reporting. Source record

Claims cited

White House Counsel John Dean's August 16, 1971 memo described how the Nixon administration could use the machinery of the federal government against people it considered political enemies. how we can use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies Nixon's Enemies List, University of North Carolina Library, A Southern View of Watergate exhibit. Claim 129, checked 2026-09-22.
The same effort discussed using the Internal Revenue Service to harass people and organizations on the list, which included a media category. using the Internal Revenue Service to harass people and organizations Nixon's Enemies List, University of North Carolina Library, A Southern View of Watergate exhibit. Claim 130, checked 2026-09-22.
CBS News correspondent Daniel Schorr found he was number 17 on the list, one description of him on it calling him a real media enemy. a real media enemy What Was Richard Nixon's 'Enemies List', and Who Was on It?, HISTORY (A&E Networks). Claim 131, checked 2026-09-22.