Bernstein did indeed depend on  anonymous sources in the Watergate story line. As I recollect he had tremendous oversight in this time by editors who required many of the sources to be revealed to them. Now media such as CNN's Reliable Sources seek drama first and then quickly move to another accusation from another anonymous source. Bernstein became quite wealthy due to his writing the Watergate stories. This is  now what other news readers  seek. After the Watergate story you began to see a long line of mostly tv journalists using "anonymous " sources. Dan Rather,  Tom Brokaw,  Peter Jennings,  Brian Williams, etc. All eventually being caught in lies. Though they were chastised they kept the lucrative position. Certainly not seen as a warning to other news readers in the so called news business. As the Russian story grows tiresome cnn continues to try to keep it alive via "sources".  Bernstein unintentionally created a cancer in the US media.