I was late to see Steven Spielberg’s drama The Post, but I’m so glad I finally did, especially now, when the relationship between The President and The Press is at the forefront again. The Post depicts controversial events from the Nixon administration, but its commentary on the role of a free press in a democracy is timeless, and especially relevant given today’s headlines.
The Premise
The Post stars Meryl Streep as Katherine Graham, newly appointed publisher of The Washington Post, and Tom Hanks as her tenacious editor, Ben Bradlee. The year is 1971, and President Nixon has prohibited The New York Times from publishing The Pentagon Papers, documents that demonstrated that the U.S. government lied to the American public about The Vietnam War for decades. Nixon claims he’s protecting national security; journalists across the country believe he is attempting legalized censorship.
The NYT sues, and while the country waits for a judgement from The Supreme Court, Ben Bradlee gets his hands on The Pentagon Papers and encourages Graham to publish them in The Washington Post. Graham must choose between the best interests of her company and the best interests of the American public.
What I Liked
Graham was one of the first women in America to publish a newspaper, and even though The Washington Post had been her family’s business for years, the only reason she had the job was because her husband died. No one expected her, a woman, to be able to handle the job. Certainly no one expected her to risk her reputation, financial stability, and freedom in the name of free press. But she did.
I attended high school in a suburb of Washington DC, and as editor of our school newspaper, I spent a lot of time studying The Washington Post and Graham and admiring her as a woman of influence in journalism. The Post depicts her as a stumbling, somewhat unsure character, especially initially. It was interesting to watch her grow into her power and gain confidence. Graham’s decision to publish is an inspiring tale of courage for women and anyone who feels oppressed.
The Post explores a time when the relationship between journalists and politicians was changing. Bradlee was a close friend of JFK, and that affected how he covered the presidency. Over the course of The Post, Bradlee realizes he can no longer be friendly with politicians if he wants to do his job well. At one point, a character alludes to Justice Hugo L. Black’s opinion in the NYT case, saying, “The founding fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.” I love that quote.
The message of the movie is clear: a democracy must protect freedom of the press to function effectively. This is such an important lesson, especially when public officials decry the media as “fake news.” Or when lawyers say that “truth isn’t truth.” When two parties disagree, it’s hard to determine which person’s story is true. However, there is always truth somewhere, and with regards to the running of our country, it’s our collective job to find it. The free press helps us do that.
I liked how Spielberg and the actors captured the drama of this quiet but very important fight in American history. It could have been a dry story, especially since we know the outcome, but Spielberg keeps up the suspense until the end.
What I didn’t like
The initial portrayal of Graham as somewhat bumbling bothered me, but fortunately she gets stronger as the movie progresses.
Recommendation
If you are a fan of history, politics, journalism, or Hanks and Streep, I highly recommend this movie. It’s a docu-drama done well.
Have you seen The Post? What did you think of it? Are there any other books or movies you can recommend that explore similar themes?
Thanks for getting nerdy with me.
I have not seen The Post – it’s on my list.
I recently watched Spotlight – so good! It’s another example of why free press is so crucial; the church scandal was uncovered in large part due to the reporters who investigated and published the news.
I’ve not seen Spotlight yet, but clearly I need to, especially after the news the past few weeks. 🙁
My husband MI1 daughter went to see this movie and I was so disappointed that I was unable to go with them. Thanks for reminding me that it was on the top of my list for last year. My husband of course listened to a couple pod cast leading up to viewing the movie. I will ask him which ones they were because it’s a good supplementation to the understanding of that time frame in our history. Thanks for sharing as always
Oh it’s so good! You must see it! And if you get those podcasts, please share. Thanks!