8 July, 2025 Siobhan Marie Day 0 Comments 6 categories

Start The Presses…

On December 12, 2017, two of Hollywood’s most celebrated actors, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, appeared together on CBS This Morning — a rare moment considering their combined filmographies span well over 100 movies, yet The Post marked their first time sharing the screen. In the interview, they discussed their roles, the film’s deeper message, and why its themes still hit home today.

The Post tells the story of one of the most consequential decisions in American journalism: when The Washington Post defied the Nixon administration and published the Pentagon Papers in 1971. Streep plays Katharine Graham, the pioneering publisher stepping into her power during a time when few women led major newspapers. Hanks portrays the iconic editor Ben Bradlee, who champions the First Amendment even as legal threats mount. Together, their characters must decide whether revealing government secrets is worth risking everything.

White House “plumbers” who broke into the office of the psychiatrist treating the man who leaked the Pentagon Papers may have had immunity for their crimes if the U.S. Supreme Court’s July immunity decision had governed the cases, according to an op-ed by a federal appeals judge. Photo of former President Richard Nixon by AP Images

In June 1971, The Washington Post and The New York Times published the "Pentagon Papers" after copies were given to their papers. Photo Credit: The Washington Post and The New York Times

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

In their conversation with anchors Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King, Streep and Hanks reflected on the urgent relevance of the story — touching on press freedom, political pressure, and the courage it takes to speak truth to power. The interview aired on CBS This Morning, a trusted news broadcast that reaches over 3 million viewers each day with its sharp reporting and thoughtful interviews.

John Dickerson, Gayle King, Norah O'Donnell and Bianna Golodryga for "CBS This Morning" Photo Credit: CBS

Whether you’re a film buff, a history lover, or someone who cares about journalism in the age of misinformation, this appearance — and the film itself — offer plenty to think about.

(Check your local listings for when CBS This Morning airs in your area.)