The Post

Front Row at the Movies by Shirrel Rhoades

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I’ve noticed that CNN refers to The Washington Post as WaPo, a useful shorthand for those bottom-of-the-screen crawls. But back when I was a young newspapermen we respectfully referred to it as The Post.

The New York Times was The Times. The Miami Herald was The Herald. And I worked for The Times-Union, as we called The Florida Times-Union.

There was a pride in being a journalist. We understood our role in reporting the facts and keeping government accountable.

The Fourth Estate is a term sometimes used for the press, signifying its influence on society — even though it’s not a part of the political system.

Freedom of the Press is a right established through Constitutional and other legal protections, assuring “the absence of interference from an overreaching state.”

This role of the press was never better exemplified than in 1972 – 1974 during what we’ve come to call the Watergate Era. It was the fearless reporting of The Washington Post that exposed the scandal that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

Another momentous event was the publication of the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret study prepared by the Department of Defense that was released to The Post and The Times by Daniel Ellsberg. For his actions, Ellsberg was charged under the Espionage Act (but the charges were later dismissed after prosecutors investigating Watergate discovered that the White House had engage in unlawful efforts to discredit Ellsberg).

You can see how the decision to publish The Pentagon Papers was a difficult one for a newspaper like The Post.

A sidelight of that story is that The Washington Post was helmed by Katherine Graham, the first woman publisher of a major newspaper. She along with her editor Ben Bradlee wrestled with idea of joining an unprecedented battle between journalist and government.

That in fact is the plot of “The Post,” a new movie from Steven Spielberg. It is currently playing at Tropic Cinema.

Meryl Streep takes on the role of Kay Graham, the woman who took control of the family’s newspaper after her husband’s death.

Tom Hanks comfortably fits the shoes of Ben Bradlee, the executive editor who challenged the government over the right to publish the Pentagon Papers.

And Matthew Rhys is cast as Daniel Ellsberg, the rogue analyst who turned the documents over to the newspapers.

“I read the script without any intention of telling the story myself,” says Spielberg. “But I was really curious about the subject matter. Ben Bradlee was my neighbor for years in East Hampton … When I finished reading Liz Hannah’s script, I thought this was an idea that felt more like 2017 than 1971 — I could not believe the similarities between today and what happened with the Nixon administration against their avowed enemies The New York Times and The Washington Post. I realized this was the only year to make this film.”

And this is the year to see it.

Email Shirrel: srhoades@aol.com