▁Post ▁revealed ▁that ▁H . R . ▁Hal de man ▁made ▁pay ments ▁from ▁the ▁secret ▁fund , ▁newsp apers ▁like ▁the ▁Chicago ▁Trib une ▁and ▁the ▁Philadelphia ▁In qu ir er ▁failed ▁to ▁publish ▁the ▁information , ▁but ▁did ▁publish ▁the ▁White ▁House ' s ▁den ial ▁of ▁the ▁story ▁the ▁following ▁day . ▁The ▁White ▁House ▁also ▁sought ▁to ▁isol ate ▁the ▁Post ' s ▁coverage ▁by ▁t ire lessly ▁attack ing ▁that ▁newspaper ▁while ▁decl ining ▁to ▁critic ize ▁other ▁dam aging ▁stories ▁about ▁the ▁sc andal ▁from ▁the ▁New ▁York ▁Times ▁and ▁Time ▁Magazine . ▁ ▁After ▁it ▁was ▁learned ▁that ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁conv icted ▁burg l ars ▁wrote ▁to ▁Judge ▁Sir ica ▁alleg ing ▁a ▁high - level ▁cover - up , ▁the ▁media ▁shift ed ▁its ▁focus . ▁Time ▁magazine ▁described ▁N ixon ▁as ▁under going ▁" d aily ▁hell ▁and ▁very ▁little ▁trust ". ▁The ▁dist rust ▁between ▁the ▁press ▁and ▁the ▁N ixon ▁administration ▁was ▁mut ual ▁and ▁greater ▁than ▁usual ▁due ▁to ▁ling ering ▁diss atisf action ▁with ▁events ▁from ▁the ▁Vietnam ▁War . ▁At ▁the ▁same ▁time , ▁public ▁dist rust ▁of ▁the ▁media ▁was ▁pol led ▁at ▁more ▁than ▁ 4 0 %. ▁ ▁N ixon ▁and ▁top ▁administration ▁officials ▁discussed ▁using ▁government ▁ag encies ▁to ▁" get " ▁( or ▁ret ali ate ▁against ) ▁those ▁they ▁perce ived ▁as ▁host ile ▁media ▁organizations . ▁Such ▁actions ▁had ▁been ▁taken ▁before . ▁At ▁the ▁request ▁of ▁N ixon ' s