While watching Steven Spielberg’s The Post I thought about how fragile our democracy is. If Katherine Graham had listened to her male “advisors” and decided NOT to publish The Pentagon Papers, the Nixon Administration would have silenced the Press and become more malignant. I enjoyed the strong performances of Meryl Streep (Katherine Graham) and Tom Hanks (Ben Bradlee). I had not realized that while The Pentagon Papers crisis was occurring, The Washington Post was in a financial crisis of its own because The Post was going public and selling stock. That adds another stressor into the mix. I still think All the President’s Men is the best movie about journalism, followed closely by Spotlight. The Post is a good, solid movie about a crucial moment in U.S. history. GRADE: B+
I pretty much agree with everything you said. When we came out of it this week and Jackie was more or less raving, I said that I thought it was good, but it was no ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN or SPOTLIGHT.
But I did find that NY TImes writer who criticized it to be disingenuous at best. To claim that the Times did everything about the Pentagon Papers and the movie let the Post have all the credit is just nonsense. The movie made it clear that Neil Sheehan broke the story in the Times, and the Post was trying to catch up the whole time, only getting their real chance when the court issued at injunction stopping the Times’s publication.
Jeff, the competition between THE POST and the NEW YORK TIMES grew more fierce after The Pentagon Papers case and Watergate. Today, that competition is still going on with both papers exposing Trump antics on a daily basis.
I want to see this, but will probably wait for it on Netflix. I still need to see the new Star Wars movie on the big screen
I also don’t remember the conflict about the Pentagon Papers, nor the Post’s financial situation.
I look forward to the day when journalists don’t have to contend with a vile, incompetent POTUS who is the biggest purveyor of fake news. I relish reading my paper every day (more so since it is no longer a right wing rag). The sad thing, so many people either don’t subscribe or get it electronically that my carrier has 6 routes. I rarely get it on time. Jeff Meyerson is often my first news source!!
Maggie, Jeff Meyerson is frequently my first news source, too! We get three daily newspapers–BUFFALO NEWS, NIAGARA GAZETTE, and WALL STREET JOURNAL.
I get the NY Times (online) plus the Daily News, I read the Palm Beach Post down here. Jackie always checks stuff like Huffington Post and Daily Beast.
Jeff, when Diane’s mother died, we cancelled our subscription to the NIAGARA GAZETTE. Diane would read the obituaries to her mother from the NIAGARA GAZETTE each day and some of the stories on the front page. But then the paper carrier showed up at our door and pleaded with Diane to continue subscribing to the NIAGARA GAZETTE. “If you cancel, I might lose this route,” she told Diane. And, Diane, with her big heart, agreed to continue the subscription even though we haven’t lived in Niagara Falls for 40 years!
that’s nice I have friends who take the la times (which thankfully now publishes the local paper) I’ve tried to get them to switch to the local paper but they still have in their heads its a right wing rag.
The best story I can tell about why I take the paper (forgive me if I”ve said this before) is that due to a column (about town type) I learned about Raymond Chandler’s wife’s internment next to Chandler. When she died, he was unable to cope with anything, (IIRC alcohol was a big factor) and she was never buried. Her remains were found in a gardner’s shed at the cemetary. A couple of fans petitioned the court successfully to have her buried near Chandler. It was a nice event, with about 125 people, including powers boothe who had played Marlow on HBO. They had a Dixieland band, vintage cars brought Cissy and the dignitaries there. Booth read his favorite lines from Chandler’s books. They had programs printed up and my friend Nancy & I got them signed by Booth.
Had I not seen the small mention in the column, I would have missed that once in a lifetime opportunity.
Maggie, I grew up reading newspapers (and magazines) every day. Today, both Patrick and Katie get their news from their iPhones and computers. Whole different world…
Yes, not as good as the other two when it comes to a newspaper story, it is great at showing how a woman comes into her own.
Patti, the Regal theater Diane and I saw THE POST at was completely sold out. It’s good to see people getting a civics lesson and a sense of pride in our Free Press!
Will see this eventually. Going to see Hostiles Monday or Tuesday.
I’m a big admirer of these papers:
NYT, Wash Post, LA Times and the Miami Herald – always used to buy them on my USA trips.
I still remember my surprise/almost shock when I got the first Sunday edition of the NYT – around a pound of paper!
Took them home to show them to my German friends.
Nowadays of course I read them online – but not every page … 🙂
PS:
And most of them were really cheap, just a quarter and 1$ on Sunday!
Wolf, Jeff Bezos (the owner of AMAZON) bought THE WASHINGTON POST. That might explain the excellence of their reporting on the Trump Administration!
Streep can kiss my cojones! PASS!
Bob, I think you’d appreciate the scenes set in Vietnam.
I doubt it!
I went to see The Post in the afternoon a couple of weeks ago. I was surprised at the number of people there, but they all were old (like me) and had trouble getting down the stairs when the movie was over. I doubt if there was anyone under 50 there and I suspect this movie, which I liked, would only appeal to newspaper readers. At various times, I subscribed to two local dailies and a couple of other papers, but now I just get the largest local that also owns the community newspapers for which I write a sports column. The weeklies have a circulation of about 200,000 as they are included with the daily that is delivered on Wednesdays and also with promotional material that is delivered to the homes that don’t receive the daily. I am surpised by the number of people I know who no longer subscribe to the daily, but read their local weekly. Ther are six different versions. As for magazines, I only subcribe to one, The New Yorker, but I am not renewing when the cheap subscription runs out in a couple of weeks. At various times, I subcribed to Sports illustrated, Sport, Inside Sports, The Sporting News, The Hockey News, Playboy, Esquire, GQ, Men’s Journal, Outside, Macleans, Time, Harpers, Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, the LA Free Press and some others I can’t remember. Also I usually bought People and the Sunday Minneapolis Tribune each week.
Kent, you’re right about the Millennials and newspapers. And, like you, my family subscribed to magazines: TIME, LIFE, LOOK, SATURDAY EVENING POST, READER’S DIGEST, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, etc. Those days are gone for good!