JUNE 2025:

Directed by Steven Spielberg, and Written by Josh Singer, and Liz Hannah, and Produced by Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger, and Amy Pascal, Starring: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, Bruce Greenwood, Matthew Rhys, with Cinematography by Janusz Kamiński, and Edited by Michael Kahn, and Sarah Broshar, and Music by John Williams, with Production companies: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks Pictures, Participant Media, Amblin Partners, Amblin Entertainment, Pascal Pictures, and Star Thrower Entertainment, and Distributed by 20th Century Fox
The Post (2017)

Why The Post Is a Vital Watch for Anyone Who Cares About Truth, Power, and the Press…

Steven Spielberg’s 2017 political thriller The Post is not just a dramatization of a pivotal historical moment — it’s a bracing reminder of the stakes involved when journalism collides with government secrecy. Anchored by powerhouse performances from Meryl Streep as Katharine “Kay” Graham and Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee, the film chronicles The Washington Post’s bold decision to publish the Pentagon Papers in 1971, defying legal threats and risking the future of the paper itself. At its core, The Post is a story about courage: the moral fortitude it takes to stand against systemic deception, and the personal strength required to grow into one’s voice when surrounded by power structures that prefer your silence.

Steven Spielberg directing "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, and Written by Josh Singer, and Liz Hannah, and Produced by Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger, and Amy Pascal, Starring: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, Bruce Greenwood, Matthew Rhys, with Cinematography by Janusz Kamiński, and Edited by Michael Kahn, and Sarah Broshar, and Music by John Williams, with Production companies: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks Pictures, Participant Media, Amblin Partners, Amblin Entertainment, Pascal Pictures, and Star Thrower Entertainment, and Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Matthew Rhys and cinematographer Janusz Kamiński filming "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep star as Ben Bradlee and Katharine Graham in Steven Spielberg’s Pentagon Papers film.Illustration by Patrick Leger
Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
The Washington Post in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks, David Cross, John Rue, and Michael Cyril Creighton in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

What elevates The Post from historical recounting to essential civic cinema is its sharp character focus — on the real people who faced these decisions, and the immense pressure they bore. It is also, perhaps more urgently now than even in 2017, a clarion call for a free press in the face of political intimidation. In an age of “fake news” rhetoric, attacks on journalists, and government overreach, The Post offers a timely — and timeless — lesson on the value of speaking truth to power.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, and Written by Josh Singer, and Liz Hannah, and Produced by Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger, and Amy Pascal, Starring: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, Bruce Greenwood, Matthew Rhys, with Cinematography by Janusz Kamiński, and Edited by Michael Kahn, and Sarah Broshar, and Music by John Williams, with Production companies: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks Pictures, Participant Media, Amblin Partners, Amblin Entertainment, Pascal Pictures, and Star Thrower Entertainment, and Distributed by 20th Century Fox
In 1974 reporting by The Washington Post brought down a US president, Richard M Nixon. President Trump can sleep easy. There is no chance that will happen again while Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon, owns the newspaper. Last week the proprietor ordered that the range of opinions expressed on the comment pages of the newspaper will be drastically limited to Trumpian themes. Photo: SKY News

Setting the Stage: What Were the Pentagon Papers?

Before diving into the characters and performances, it’s worth establishing the historical backdrop. The Pentagon Papers were a classified, 7,000-page Department of Defense study detailing U.S. political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967. Commissioned by then – Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, the report revealed that successive administrations — Truman through Johnson — had misled the public about the scale and scope of the Vietnam War. In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a military analyst turned whistleblower, leaked the papers to The New York Times. When the Nixon administration obtained an injunction to halt further publication, The Washington Post stepped into the breach.

The Pentagon Papers were America’s first glimpse into why the Vietnam War was unwinnable. Composite by Coffee or Die Magazine.
Leaked by former RAND Corporation analyst Daniel Ellsberg in 1971, the Papers exposed how successive presidents had escalated the conflict in Vietnam while privately doubting its chances of success. The release of the Papers constituted a seismic breach in governmental control over classified information and sent shockwaves through the media and political establishment. For many Americans, the Pentagon Papers were a jarring confirmation of their worst fears — that their government had lied to them for decades, sacrificing thousands of lives in a war that was, from early on, deemed unwinnable.
Pentagon Papers, papers that contain a history of the U.S. role in Indochina from World War II until May 1968 and that were commissioned in 1967 by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. They were turned over (without authorization) to The New York Times by Daniel Ellsberg, a senior research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for International Studies.
Soldiers moving through the jungle terrain that was the Vietnam War circa late 1960s. Photo Credit: Getty Images
Robert S. McNamara (born June 9, 1916, San Francisco, California, U.S.—died July 6, 2009, Washington, D.C.) was the U.S. secretary of defense from 1961 to 1968 who revamped Pentagon operations and who played a major role in the nation’s military involvement in the Vietnam War.
Harry S. Truman (born May 8, 1884, Lamar, Missouri, U.S.—died December 26, 1972, Kansas City, Missouri) was the 33rd president of the United States (1945–53), who led his country through the final stages of World War II and through the early years of the Cold War, vigorously opposing Soviet expansionism in Europe and sending U.S. forces to turn back a communist invasion of South Korea. Truman was the eldest of three children of John A. and Martha E. Truman; his father was a mule trader and farmer. After graduating from high school in 1901 in Independence, Missouri, he went to ...(100 of 2330 words)
John F. Kennedy (born May 29, 1917, Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S.—died November 22, 1963, Dallas, Texas) was the 35th president of the United States (1961–63), who faced a number of foreign crises, especially in Cuba and Berlin, but managed to secure such achievements as the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty and the Alliance for Progress. He was assassinated while riding in a motorcade in Dallas.
Lyndon B. Johnson (born August 27, 1908, Gillespie county, Texas, U.S.—died January 22, 1973, San Antonio, Texas) was the 36th president of the United States (1963–69). A moderate Democrat and vigorous leader in the United States Senate, Johnson was elected vice president in 1960 and acceded to the presidency in 1963 upon the assassination of Pres. John F. Kennedy. During his administration he signed into law the Civil Rights Act (1964), the most comprehensive civil rights legislation since the Reconstruction era, initiated major social service programs, and bore the brunt of national opposition to his vast expansion of American involvement in the Vietnam War.
Hovering U.S. Army helicopters pour machine gun fire into a tree line to cover the advance of South Vietnamese ground troops in an attack on a Viet-Cong camp 18 miles north of Tay Ninh, near the Cambodian border, March 1965. (AP Photo/Horst Faas)
Some of the papers from the archive of Daniel Ellsberg are pictured at UMass Amherst in Amherst, MA on Sep. 19, 2019. Ellsberg, a top-rated war analyst who in 1971 leaked a massive, top-secret history of the American involvement in Vietnam - the so-called Pentagon Papers that exposed deception and mistakes by five US presidents - has chosen a home for his massive archive. The papers are going to the University of Massachusetts flagship campus here, where researchers will be able to pore over a catastrophic conflict in Southeast Asia, where 58,000 American lives were lost in a foreign war whose fateful lessons have echoed now across two generations. The university has acquired the papers for $2.2 million, most of which - $1.35 million - was provided by an anonymous donor, the university said Monday. The rest of the money will come from the universitys special collections fund. Photo by Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Leaked by former RAND Corporation analyst Daniel Ellsberg in 1971, the Papers exposed how successive presidents had escalated the conflict in Vietnam while privately doubting its chances of success. The release of the Papers constituted a seismic breach in governmental control over classified information and sent shockwaves through the media and political establishment. For many Americans, the Pentagon Papers were a jarring confirmation of their worst fears — that their government had lied to them for decades, sacrificing thousands of lives in a war that was, from early on, deemed unwinnable.
The Pentagon Papers are a top-secret study commissioned by the Department of Defense on U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, revealing decades of classified information and the government's deception of the public about the war's true nature. Here's how The New York Times is connected to the Pentagon Papers: Publication: The New York Times played a pivotal role by obtaining copies of the classified documents and beginning to publish excerpts on June 13, 1971. Legal Battle: This act of publication sparked a legal battle with the Nixon administration, which sought to prevent further release of the classified material, citing national security concerns. Supreme Court Case: The case, New York Times Co. v. United States (1971) (also known as the Pentagon Papers case), went to the Supreme Court on an expedited basis due to the importance of the issue. Landmark Ruling: In a landmark 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of The New York Times, affirming the First Amendment right of freedom of the press against prior restraint (censorship) by the government. Impact: The publication of the Pentagon Papers significantly impacted public opinion regarding the Vietnam War, raising concerns about government secrecy and accountability. Watergate Connection: The release of the Pentagon Papers is also considered a catalyst for the Watergate scandal, as it prompted the Nixon White House to create the "Plumbers" unit to prevent future leaks, leading to the break-in at the Democratic Party headquarters. In essence, The New York Times' decision to publish the Pentagon Papers led to a landmark Supreme Court case that reaffirmed the importance of a free press and its role in informing the public, while also triggering events that ultimately led to the resignation of President Nixon.
* Supreme Court issues nine seperate decisions * Government could prosecute after publication * Nixon tried, but was derailed by Watergate
On June 18, 1971, The Washington Post began publishing its own series of articles based upon the Pentagon Papers;[11] Ellsberg had given portions to The Washington Post reporter and former RAND Corporation colleague Ben Bagdikian in a Boston-area motel earlier that week.[54] Bagdikian flew with the portions to Washington and physically presented them to executive editor Ben Bradlee at the latter's house in the Georgetown neighborhood; Bradlee set up a team of writers, lawyers and editors to hide out in his house and organize the portions.[55] Bagdikian later met with Mike Gravel in front of the Mayflower Hotel on June 26[42] to give him copies.[47][43][44][45][46] On June 18, Assistant U.S. Attorney General William Rehnquist asked The Washington Post to cease publication. After the paper refused, Rehnquist sought an injunction in U.S. district court. Judge Murray Gurfein declined to issue such an injunction, writing that "[t]he security of the Nation is not at the ramparts alone. Security also lies in the value of our free institutions. A cantankerous press, an obstinate press, a ubiquitous press must be suffered by those in authority to preserve the even greater values of freedom of expression and the right of the people to know."[56] The government appealed that decision, and on June 26 the Supreme Court agreed to hear it jointly with The New York Times case.[53] Fifteen other newspapers received copies of the study and began publishing it.[11] According to Ellsberg in 2017 and 2021, 19 newspapers in total eventually drew on the Papers for their investigative work;[57][35] the Post's then-court reporter Sanford J. Ungar wrote in his May 1972 book The Papers and The Papers that aside from the Times and the Post, The Boston Globe and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch had also been brought to court by the Nixon administration over coverage of the Papers.

It was an existential risk: publishing the papers could bring criminal charges, financial ruin, or even jail time. But the story needed to be told. And it was Katharine Graham and Ben Bradlee who made the final call.

Katharine Graham, left, publisher of The Washington Post, and Ben Bradlee, executive editor of The Washington Post, leave U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., on June 21, 1971. The newspaper got the go-ahead to print Pentagon papers on Vietnam. Later however, the U.S. Court of Appeals extended for one more day a ban against publishing the secret documents. AP Photo AP

Katharine Graham: Reluctant Publisher, Relentless Force

Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

Portrayed by: Meryl Streep
Real-life legacy: First female CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Pulitzer Prize – winning memoirist, journalistic icon

Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Katharine Graham (born June 16, 1917, New York, New York, U.S.—died July 17, 2001, Boise, Idaho) was an American business executive who owned and published various news publications, most notably The Washington Post, which she transformed into one of the leading newspapers in the United States. She was especially known for supporting the Post’s investigation into the Watergate scandal.

In The Post, Meryl Streep gives one of her most understated yet layered performances as Katharine Graham, the socialite-turned-publisher thrust into a role she never anticipated. When her husband, Phil Graham, committed suicide in 1963, Kay took over as publisher of The Washington Post Company — a position most in her circle assumed was temporary, ceremonial, or both. She inherited a newsroom and a boardroom full of men who doubted her capabilities.

Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
The Washington Post in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

Streep captures Graham’s arc with precision: from tentative figurehead deferring to legal counsel and male advisors, to decisive publisher who silences a room by saying “Let’s go. Let’s publish.” Her transformation is the film’s spine.

Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tracy Letts and Meryl Streep in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Jesse Plemons, Tracy Letts, and Bradley Whitford in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Tracy Letts, and Bradley Whitford in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Meryl Streep, Tracy Letts and Tom Hanks in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

After the Pentagon Papers:

Graham’s courage during the Pentagon Papers affair redefined her leadership. She backed The Post again in 1972 during the early Watergate reporting — at a time when Nixon operatives were actively trying to destroy her newspaper’s credibility and finances. By the end of the decade, The Post had won 17 Pulitzer Prizes under her watch.

Katharine Graham (born June 16, 1917, New York, New York, U.S.—died July 17, 2001, Boise, Idaho) was an American business executive who owned and published various news publications, most notably The Washington Post, which she transformed into one of the leading newspapers in the United States. She was especially known for supporting the Post’s investigation into the Watergate scandal.
Watergate, Carl Bernstein And Bob Woodward, The Washington Post Journalists. Photo Credit: Paul Slade/Paris Match via Getty Images
Nixon and Watergate were on the minds of Americans in 1973 as the Watergate Hearings in Congress began.
President Richard Nixon, claiming he was misled by his staff, has assumes "full responsibility" for the Watergate bugging and indicated a special prosecutor may be named to investigate the worst crisis of his presidency. Six top administration officials have resigned as a consequence of the case. Attorney General Richard G.Kleindienst and top White House aides H.R.Haldeman, John D.Ehrlichman and John W.Dean III all resigned April 30. Last week, L.Patrick Gray III, acting director of the F.B.I., and Jeb Stuart Magruder, a former Haldeman aide, also resigned. Photo Credit: AFP
Katharine Meyer Graham (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001) was an American newspaper publisher. She led her family's newspaper, The Washington Post, from 1963 to 1991. Graham presided over the paper as it reported on the Watergate scandal, which eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. She was one of the first 20th-century female publishers of a major American newspaper and the first woman elected to the board of the Associated Press.
The Pulitzer Prize Award

She remained publisher until 1979 and chairwoman of the board until 1993. Her 1997 memoir, Personal History, won a Pulitzer Prize. Graham became a revered figure not only in journalism but also in business, paving the way for women in leadership at a time when there were virtually no female executives in corporate America. She died in 2001, having lived to see her paper’s journalistic legacy cemented by history.

Katharine Graham (born June 16, 1917, New York, New York, U.S.—died July 17, 2001, Boise, Idaho) was an American business executive who owned and published various news publications, most notably The Washington Post, which she transformed into one of the leading newspapers in the United States. She was especially known for supporting the Post’s investigation into the Watergate scandal.
Katharine Graham (born June 16, 1917, New York, New York, U.S.—died July 17, 2001, Boise, Idaho) was an American business executive who owned and published various news publications, most notably The Washington Post, which she transformed into one of the leading newspapers in the United States. She was especially known for supporting the Post’s investigation into the Watergate scandal.
Katharine Graham with Washington Post editors in 1971. Photo courtesy of the Katharine Graham Estate
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • PULTIZER PRIZE WINNER • The captivating inside story of the woman who helmed the Washington Post during one of the most turbulent periods in the history of American media: the scandals of the Pentagon Papers and Watergate In this widely acclaimed memoir ("Riveting, moving...a wonderful book" The New York Times Book Review), Katharine Graham tells her story—one that is extraordinary both for the events it encompasses and for the courage, candor, and dignity of its telling. Here is the awkward child who grew up amid material wealth and emotional isolation; the young bride who watched her brilliant, charismatic husband—a confidant to John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson—plunge into the mental illness that would culminate in his suicide. And here is the widow who shook off her grief and insecurity to take on a president and a pressman’s union as she entered the profane boys’ club of the newspaper business. As timely now as ever, Personal History is an exemplary record of our history and of the woman who played such a shaping role within them, discovering her own strength and sense of self as she confronted—and mastered—the personal and professional crises of her fascinating life.
The Pulitzer Prize Award
Katharine Graham (born June 16, 1917, New York, New York, U.S.—died July 17, 2001, Boise, Idaho) was an American business executive who owned and published various news publications, most notably The Washington Post, which she transformed into one of the leading newspapers in the United States. She was especially known for supporting the Post’s investigation into the Watergate scandal.
The first woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Katharine Graham signs a copy of her memoir Personal History in 1997. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Biography for the book.

Ben Bradlee: The Editor Who Dared

Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

Portrayed by: Tom Hanks
Real-life legacy: Executive editor of The Washington Post from 1968–1991, driving force behind the Watergate investigation

Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Ben Bradlee turned the Washington Post into a national contender. Photograph: HBO

Tom Hanks embodies Bradlee’s brisk, hard-nosed energy with the right blend of journalistic fervor and moral clarity. Bradlee was known for cultivating aggressive, investigative reporting and for shielding his reporters from corporate or political backlash. In The Post, he initially envies The New York Times scoop, but quickly turns combative when the Nixon administration attempts to suppress the story.

Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks, David Cross, Bob Odenkirk, and John Rue in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks, David Cross, John Rue, and Michael Cyril Creighton in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Nixon as depicted in final scene in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

Hanks’s Bradlee, however, is not just a man of swagger — he is a man haunted by past failures to interrogate official narratives, particularly in his previous cozy relationships with the Kennedy administration. His conversation with his wife, Tony Bradlee (played by Sarah Paulson), crystallizes the moral awakening that the Pentagon Papers demanded.

Tom Hanks, David Cross, Bob Odenkirk, and John Rue in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks and Sarah Paulson in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks, Philip Casnoff, David Cross, Pat Healy, Rick Holmes, Bob Odenkirk, and Carrie Coon in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

After the Pentagon Papers:

Bradlee’s defining moment arguably came after The Post published the Pentagon Papers. In 1972, he supported Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s reporting on the Watergate break-in, standing firm as the Nixon administration unleashed every weapon it had. This coverage ultimately led to Nixon’s resignation.

Ben Bradlee turned the Washington Post into a national contender. Photograph: HBO
Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, and Ben Bradlee at The Washington Post during the Watergate era.
Katharine Graham, Carl Bernstein, Bob Woodward, and Ben Bradlee at The Washington Post during the Watergate era.
When Americans woke up on June 17, 1972, they knew President Richard M. Nixon was cruising to a likely reelection. He had withstood the embarrassing leak of the Pentagon Papers the year before, which revealed a darker picture of U.S. involvement in Vietnam than the public had previously seen. But they did not know that since then, the White House had formed a covert team that carried out unethical and illegal spying and sabotage against Democratic candidates. And they did not know that, while most Americans slept, that team had bungled a burglary, or that the eventual coverup would bring about the end of Nixon’s presidency. Here is how the Watergate story was revealed, connection by connection, leading all the way to the president.
Nixon and Watergate were on the minds of Americans in 1973 as the Watergate Hearings in Congress began.
Newspaper headlines being read by tourists in front of the White House tell of history in the making. It is said to be imminent that President Nixon will become the first President of the country to resign. He will address a nationwide TV audience tonight. Photo Credit: AFP

Bradlee remained editor until 1991, transforming The Post into one of the most respected papers in the world. His memoir, A Good Life: Newspapering and Other Adventures (1995), is a candid reflection on the media, politics, and his evolving sense of journalistic duty. Bradlee passed away in 2014 at the age of 93.

Ben Bradlee (born August 26, 1921, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.—died October 21, 2014, Washington, D.C.) was an American journalist and newspaper editor who set exacting standards and promoted an aggressive newsroom style as the executive editor (1968–91) of The Washington Post. Bradlee began reporting for a local paper at age 15. In 1942 he graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in English and Greek. Following the completion of his military service, he helped found (1945) the New Hampshire Sunday News, a weekly newspaper, and then became (1948) a reporter for The Washington Post. Bradlee served (1951–53) as the press attaché at the U.S. embassy in Paris before becoming a foreign correspondent (1954–57) for Newsweek magazine. After Bradlee prompted Post owner Philip Graham to purchase Newsweek (1961), he started working as a reporter (1957–61) for the magazine’s Washington bureau and eventually became its chief (1961–65). Following Graham’s suicide (1963), Graham’s widow, Katharine, brought Bradlee back to the Post as managing editor (1965) and (from 1968) executive editor. With her support, Bradlee oversaw the publication of excerpts from the Pentagon Papers (government documents concerning the Vietnam War), despite the fact that a court injunction had blocked The New York Times from doing so. He also authorized Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to continue to delve into the Watergate scandal, an investigation that eventually implicated U.S. Pres. Richard Nixon in illegal activities and forced his resignation. In addition, Bradlee encouraged more-extensive foreign reporting and the introduction (1969) of a Style section, which covered cultural news. His revitalization was credited with almost doubling the paper’s circulation and with earning it 18 Pulitzer Prizes. Bradlee’s books include Conversations with Kennedy (1975) and the memoir A Good Life (1995). In 2013 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Ben Bradlee (born August 26, 1921, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.—died October 21, 2014, Washington, D.C.) was an American journalist and newspaper editor who set exacting standards and promoted an aggressive newsroom style as the executive editor (1968–91) of The Washington Post. Bradlee began reporting for a local paper at age 15. In 1942 he graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in English and Greek. Following the completion of his military service, he helped found (1945) the New Hampshire Sunday News, a weekly newspaper, and then became (1948) a reporter for The Washington Post. Bradlee served (1951–53) as the press attaché at the U.S. embassy in Paris before becoming a foreign correspondent (1954–57) for Newsweek magazine. After Bradlee prompted Post owner Philip Graham to purchase Newsweek (1961), he started working as a reporter (1957–61) for the magazine’s Washington bureau and eventually became its chief (1961–65). Following Graham’s suicide (1963), Graham’s widow, Katharine, brought Bradlee back to the Post as managing editor (1965) and (from 1968) executive editor. With her support, Bradlee oversaw the publication of excerpts from the Pentagon Papers (government documents concerning the Vietnam War), despite the fact that a court injunction had blocked The New York Times from doing so. He also authorized Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to continue to delve into the Watergate scandal, an investigation that eventually implicated U.S. Pres. Richard Nixon in illegal activities and forced his resignation. In addition, Bradlee encouraged more-extensive foreign reporting and the introduction (1969) of a Style section, which covered cultural news. His revitalization was credited with almost doubling the paper’s circulation and with earning it 18 Pulitzer Prizes. Bradlee’s books include Conversations with Kennedy (1975) and the memoir A Good Life (1995). In 2013 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The editor-in-chief of The Washington Post recounts his life and career in journalism, from his early friendship with Senator John F. Kennedy to his famous role in the Watergate investigation. Reprint. 100,000 first printing.
Bob Woodward and Ben Bradlee at The Washington Post during the Watergate era.
Ben Bradlee (born August 26, 1921, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.—died October 21, 2014, Washington, D.C.) was an American journalist and newspaper editor who set exacting standards and promoted an aggressive newsroom style as the executive editor (1968–91) of The Washington Post. Bradlee began reporting for a local paper at age 15. In 1942 he graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in English and Greek. Following the completion of his military service, he helped found (1945) the New Hampshire Sunday News, a weekly newspaper, and then became (1948) a reporter for The Washington Post. Bradlee served (1951–53) as the press attaché at the U.S. embassy in Paris before becoming a foreign correspondent (1954–57) for Newsweek magazine. After Bradlee prompted Post owner Philip Graham to purchase Newsweek (1961), he started working as a reporter (1957–61) for the magazine’s Washington bureau and eventually became its chief (1961–65). Following Graham’s suicide (1963), Graham’s widow, Katharine, brought Bradlee back to the Post as managing editor (1965) and (from 1968) executive editor. With her support, Bradlee oversaw the publication of excerpts from the Pentagon Papers (government documents concerning the Vietnam War), despite the fact that a court injunction had blocked The New York Times from doing so. He also authorized Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to continue to delve into the Watergate scandal, an investigation that eventually implicated U.S. Pres. Richard Nixon in illegal activities and forced his resignation. In addition, Bradlee encouraged more-extensive foreign reporting and the introduction (1969) of a Style section, which covered cultural news. His revitalization was credited with almost doubling the paper’s circulation and with earning it 18 Pulitzer Prizes. Bradlee’s books include Conversations with Kennedy (1975) and the memoir A Good Life (1995). In 2013 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Daniel Ellsberg: The Whistleblower Who Risked Everything

Matthew Rhys as Daniel Ellsberg in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

Portrayed by: Matthew Rhys
Real-life legacy: Former military analyst turned anti-war activist, symbol of whistleblowing ethics

Matthew Rhys as Daniel Ellsberg in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Leaked by former RAND Corporation analyst Daniel Ellsberg in 1971, the Papers exposed how successive presidents had escalated the conflict in Vietnam while privately doubting its chances of success. The release of the Papers constituted a seismic breach in governmental control over classified information and sent shockwaves through the media and political establishment. For many Americans, the Pentagon Papers were a jarring confirmation of their worst fears — that their government had lied to them for decades, sacrificing thousands of lives in a war that was, from early on, deemed unwinnable.

Matthew Rhys brings quiet intensity to his portrayal of Daniel Ellsberg, the RAND Corporation analyst who photocopied and leaked the Pentagon Papers. Though he appears in only a handful of scenes, Ellsberg’s role is pivotal — he is the conscience behind the entire drama, the one who decided that the American public had a right to know what had been done in their name.

Matthew Rhys as Daniel Ellsberg in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Matthew Rhys as Daniel Ellsberg in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Matthew Rhys as Daniel Ellsberg in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Matthew Rhys as Daniel Ellsberg in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Matthew Rhys as Daniel Ellsberg in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

Ellsberg had served as a Marine and Pentagon insider, initially supporting the war effort. But after traveling to Vietnam and seeing the devastation firsthand, he became disillusioned. The decision to leak the Papers was not impulsive — it was the culmination of years of growing moral anguish.

Matthew Rhys as Daniel Ellsberg in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Matthew Rhys and Bob Odenkirk in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Matthew Rhys and Bob Odenkirk in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Matthew Rhys as Daniel Ellsberg in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

After the Pentagon Papers:

Ellsberg was charged under the Espionage Act and faced over 100 years in prison. But in 1973, the charges were dismissed due to governmental misconduct, including illegal wiretapping.

FILE - In this July 28, 1971 file photo, Daniel Ellsberg, former Defense Department researcher who leaked top-secret Pentagon papers to the press, speaks to an unofficial House panel investigating the significance of the war documents, as Rep. Don Edwards, D-Calif., right, looks on, in Washington. The WikiLeak documents have been compared to the Pentagon Papers, an internal government study of U.S. involvement in Vietnam that was commissioned in 1967 and were leaked, including a memo that stated the reason for fighting in Vietnam was based far more on preserving U.S. prestige than preventing communism or helping the Vietnamese. AP Photo, file

He spent the next five decades as a vocal critic of U.S. militarism and an advocate for whistleblower protections. Ellsberg was a major influence on Edward Snowden and other modern leakers. He continued writing and speaking until his death in 2023 from pancreatic cancer. In his final interviews, he said he had no regrets.

The Post & The Pentagon Papers Photo: Zinn Education Project
Edward Snowden, 2013.
Reality Leigh Winner (born December 4, 1991)[5][6] is an American U.S. Air Force veteran and former NSA translator. In 2018, she was given the longest prison sentence ever imposed for an unauthorized release of government information to the media[7] after she leaked an intelligence report about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.[8] She was sentenced to five years and three months in federal prison.[9] On June 3, 2017, while employed by the military contractor Pluribus International Corporation, Winner was arrested on suspicion of leaking an intelligence report about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections from the National Security Agency (NSA) to the news website The Intercept. The report indicated that Russian hackers accessed voter registration rolls in the United States with an email phishing operation,[10] though it was unclear whether any changes had been made. The Intercept's mishandling of the material exposed her as the source and led to her arrest.[11] Twice denied bail, Winner was held at the Lincoln County Jail in Lincolnton, Georgia.[12] On August 23, 2018, Winner was convicted of "removing classified material from a government facility and mailing it to a news outlet" and sentenced to five years and three months in prison as part of a plea deal.[13] She was incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, and released to a transitional facility on June 2, 2021.
Julian Assange WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at a press conference, 2010.
Leaked by former RAND Corporation analyst Daniel Ellsberg in 1971, the Papers exposed how successive presidents had escalated the conflict in Vietnam while privately doubting its chances of success. The release of the Papers constituted a seismic breach in governmental control over classified information and sent shockwaves through the media and political establishment. For many Americans, the Pentagon Papers were a jarring confirmation of their worst fears — that their government had lied to them for decades, sacrificing thousands of lives in a war that was, from early on, deemed unwinnable.

Supporting Players: Journalists and Advocates of the Truth

Ben Bagdikian (played by Bob Odenkirk)

Bob Odenkirk as Ben Bagdikian in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

Bagdikian was an assistant managing editor at The Post and the man who tracked down Ellsberg and obtained the Pentagon Papers for the paper. Odenkirk plays him with understated urgency — a reporter keenly aware of the stakes.

Bob Odenkirk as Ben Bagdikian in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Bob Odenkirk as Ben Bagdikian in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Matthew Rhys and Bob Odenkirk in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Matthew Rhys and Bob Odenkirk in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Bob Odenkirk as Ben Bagdikian in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

Later career: Bagdikian became a media critic and dean at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. His book The Media Monopoly (1983) warned presciently about the consolidation of media ownership.

Ben-hur Haig Bagdikian[2] (January 30, 1920 – March 11, 2016) was an American journalist, news media critic and commentator,[3] and university professor. An Armenian genocide survivor, he moved to the United States as an infant and began a journalism career after serving in World War II. He worked as a local reporter, investigative journalist and foreign correspondent for The Providence Journal. During his time there, Bagdikian won a Peabody Award and a Pulitzer Prize. In 1971, he received parts of the Pentagon Papers from Daniel Ellsberg and successfully persuaded The Washington Post to publish them despite objections and threats from the Richard Nixon administration. He later taught at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and served as its dean from 1985 to 1988. Bagdikian was a critic of the news media.[4] His 1983 book The Media Monopoly, warning about the growing concentration of corporate ownership of news organizations, went through several editions and influenced, among others, Noam Chomsky. He has been hailed for his ethical standards and has been described by Robert W. McChesney as one of the finest journalists of the 20th century.
Ben-hur Haig Bagdikian[2] (January 30, 1920 – March 11, 2016) was an American journalist, news media critic and commentator,[3] and university professor. An Armenian genocide survivor, he moved to the United States as an infant and began a journalism career after serving in World War II. He worked as a local reporter, investigative journalist and foreign correspondent for The Providence Journal. During his time there, Bagdikian won a Peabody Award and a Pulitzer Prize. In 1971, he received parts of the Pentagon Papers from Daniel Ellsberg and successfully persuaded The Washington Post to publish them despite objections and threats from the Richard Nixon administration. He later taught at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and served as its dean from 1985 to 1988. Bagdikian was a critic of the news media.[4] His 1983 book The Media Monopoly, warning about the growing concentration of corporate ownership of news organizations, went through several editions and influenced, among others, Noam Chomsky. He has been hailed for his ethical standards and has been described by Robert W. McChesney as one of the finest journalists of the 20th century.
Ben-hur Haig Bagdikian[2] (January 30, 1920 – March 11, 2016) was an American journalist, news media critic and commentator,[3] and university professor. An Armenian genocide survivor, he moved to the United States as an infant and began a journalism career after serving in World War II. He worked as a local reporter, investigative journalist and foreign correspondent for The Providence Journal. During his time there, Bagdikian won a Peabody Award and a Pulitzer Prize. In 1971, he received parts of the Pentagon Papers from Daniel Ellsberg and successfully persuaded The Washington Post to publish them despite objections and threats from the Richard Nixon administration. He later taught at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and served as its dean from 1985 to 1988. Bagdikian was a critic of the news media.[4] His 1983 book The Media Monopoly, warning about the growing concentration of corporate ownership of news organizations, went through several editions and influenced, among others, Noam Chomsky. He has been hailed for his ethical standards and has been described by Robert W. McChesney as one of the finest journalists of the 20th century.
Ben-hur Haig Bagdikian[2] (January 30, 1920 – March 11, 2016) was an American journalist, news media critic and commentator,[3] and university professor. An Armenian genocide survivor, he moved to the United States as an infant and began a journalism career after serving in World War II. He worked as a local reporter, investigative journalist and foreign correspondent for The Providence Journal. During his time there, Bagdikian won a Peabody Award and a Pulitzer Prize. In 1971, he received parts of the Pentagon Papers from Daniel Ellsberg and successfully persuaded The Washington Post to publish them despite objections and threats from the Richard Nixon administration. He later taught at the University of California, Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and served as its dean from 1985 to 1988. Bagdikian was a critic of the news media.[4] His 1983 book The Media Monopoly, warning about the growing concentration of corporate ownership of news organizations, went through several editions and influenced, among others, Noam Chomsky. He has been hailed for his ethical standards and has been described by Robert W. McChesney as one of the finest journalists of the 20th century.
Explains how the media are tightly controlled and manipulated in the United States today, and examines the fifty corporations that control American communications

Fritz Beebe (played by Tracy Letts)

Tracy Letts as Fritz Beebe in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

Beebe was chairman of the board at The Washington Post Company and Kay Graham’s confidant. The film shows his gradual deference to her growing confidence.

Tracy Letts as Fritz Beebe in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tracy Letts and Meryl Streep in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Tracy Letts, and Bradley Whitford in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Jesse Plemons, Tracy Letts, and Bradley Whitford in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks, Tracy Letts, Meryl Streep, Bradley Whitford, and Carrie Coon in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

Later career: Beebe remained an important advisor until his death in 1973, remembered as someone who ultimately supported Graham’s leadership during a critical juncture.

Meryl Streep, Tracy Letts and Tom Hanks in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

Tony Bradlee (played by Sarah Paulson)

Sarah Paulson as Tony Bradlee in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

Tony was not a journalist, but her quiet counsel to her husband — reminding him that “we have kids” while still recognizing the stakes — adds emotional depth. Her presence in the film underscores the personal toll of these decisions.

Sarah Paulson as Tony Bradlee in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Tom Hanks and Sarah Paulson in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Sarah Paulson as Tony Bradlee in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Sarah Paulson as Tony Bradlee in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Sarah Paulson as Tony Bradlee in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

The Cultural and Political Parallels: Then and Now

At the time of its release in 2017, The Post was widely interpreted as a response to the Trump administration’s hostility toward the press. It was not subtle: Spielberg fast-tracked the film’s production to ensure it released while press freedom was under direct attack. But the parallels between the Nixon era and the contemporary climate go even deeper.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, and Written by Josh Singer, and Liz Hannah, and Produced by Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger, and Amy Pascal, Starring: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, Bruce Greenwood, Matthew Rhys, with Cinematography by Janusz Kamiński, and Edited by Michael Kahn, and Sarah Broshar, and Music by John Williams, with Production companies: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks Pictures, Participant Media, Amblin Partners, Amblin Entertainment, Pascal Pictures, and Star Thrower Entertainment, and Distributed by 20th Century Fox
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at the White House, Friday, June 15, 2018, in Washington. AP Photo/Evan Vucci
President Trump: Media are the 'enemy of the American people' Journalists stress importance of a free press for democracy to thrive. February 21, 2017
US papers plan fightback against what they call Trump’s ‘alarming’ attacks. Photograph: Markus Schreiber/AP
Steven Spielberg and cinematographer Janusz Kamiński directing "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.
Steven Spielberg directing Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

1. Government Secrecy and Misinformation

A misinformation news stand is seen in Manhattan, New York, United States on October 30, 2018. The Columbia Journalism Review is aiming to educate news consumers about the dangers of fake news or disinformation. Photo by Atilgan Ozdil/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Just as the Pentagon Papers revealed a decades – long campaign of deception by the government, modern politics is rife with disinformation — on everything from military interventions to pandemic response. In both eras, journalists play a crucial role in uncovering the truth that officials would prefer remain hidden.

2. Legal Threats to the Press

The decade following The Post’s release — 2017 to 2024 — has witnessed increasing polarization of the press, the rise of disinformation, and unprecedented hostility toward journalism from within the government itself. Figures like Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, and Reality Winner have evoked comparisons to Ellsberg, raising questions about the ethics of leaks, the limits of press protection, and the blurred line between transparency and treason.

Nixon sought court orders to prevent publication. Trump labeled the media the “enemy of the people,” floated revising libel laws, and pursued whistleblowers. The Espionage Act, used against Ellsberg, was revived to charge Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden. Press freedom, though constitutionally protected, is never guaranteed.

3. Gender and Power

Kay Graham’s struggle for respect as a woman leading a major newspaper resonates in today's conversations about gender parity in media, politics, and business. Her story is emblematic of the quiet revolutions that transform not only institutions but the individuals within them.

Kay Graham’s struggle for respect as a woman leading a major newspaper resonates in today’s conversations about gender parity in media, politics, and business. Her story is emblematic of the quiet revolutions that transform not only institutions but the individuals within them.

4. Whistleblowers and Accountability

Ellsberg’s moral clarity mirrors that of later leakers who risked their lives or freedom to reveal truths—often vilified by those in power. Whether one sees whistleblowers as heroes or traitors, their sacrifices spotlight a central democratic question: Who gets to decide what the public has a right to know?

Ellsberg’s moral clarity mirrors that of later leakers who risked their lives or freedom to reveal truths — often vilified by those in power. Whether one sees whistleblowers as heroes or traitors, their sacrifices spotlight a central democratic question: Who gets to decide what the public has a right to know?

Why The Post Matters

Beyond its impeccable craftsmanship, The Post is essential viewing because it reminds us that democracy is not a given — it is an ongoing project, fragile and dependent on the actions of individuals who decide, in moments of great pressure, to do the right thing.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, and Written by Josh Singer, and Liz Hannah, and Produced by Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger, and Amy Pascal, Starring: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, Bruce Greenwood, Matthew Rhys, with Cinematography by Janusz Kamiński, and Edited by Michael Kahn, and Sarah Broshar, and Music by John Williams, with Production companies: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks Pictures, Participant Media, Amblin Partners, Amblin Entertainment, Pascal Pictures, and Star Thrower Entertainment, and Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Democracy Is in Peril, Just Not the Way We Thought Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt explained “How Democracies Die.” Then they decided to look even deeper.

This film is not about perfect heroes. It’s about people who were scared, uncertain, constrained by legal risks and societal norms, but who acted anyway. It’s about the press not as an abstract institution, but as a collection of people willing to put their reputations, livelihoods, and even freedom on the line for the truth.

The Washinton Post Newsroom in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

A Film That Demands Rewatching—and Reflection

The Post is not a period piece — it is a mirror. In a time when media trust is low, disinformation spreads rapidly, and executive power threatens to override democratic norms, this film asks: Who will tell the story? Who will stand up? Who will publish?

Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in "The Post" (2017) Photo by Niko Tavernise - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation And Storyteller Distribution Co. Llc. All Rights Reserved.

For its powerful performances, historical resonance, and its urgent reminder that the free press is the beating heart of a democratic society, The Post is not just recommended — it’s required viewing.

Watch it. Discuss it. Learn from it. And never take your freedoms for granted.

Directed by Steven Spielberg, and Written by Josh Singer, and Liz Hannah, and Produced by Steven Spielberg, Kristie Macosko Krieger, and Amy Pascal, Starring: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, Bruce Greenwood, Matthew Rhys, with Cinematography by Janusz Kamiński, and Edited by Michael Kahn, and Sarah Broshar, and Music by John Williams, with Production companies: 20th Century Fox, DreamWorks Pictures, Participant Media, Amblin Partners, Amblin Entertainment, Pascal Pictures, and Star Thrower Entertainment, and Distributed by 20th Century Fox

The Post is available now for rent on all streaming platforms…

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