January 15

Blog #107 – The Post

 

I really hoped that you enjoyed the movie, The Post, this weekend.  I think we got to see some pretty smart acting, decent writing, and a slice of 1971 politics and newspapers.  As we saw, the Washington Post was trying to become more than just a regular, “local paper” as they called it, when Katherine Graham, the publisher played by Meryl Streep, looked to sell stock in the company and raise $3 million to hire 25 new reporters.  At the same time that this stock offering is getting ready to go, the New York Times began publishing the opening series of the Pentagon Papers, a 7,000 page report detailing American involvement in Vietnam from 1945 – 1967.  Ben Bradlee, the editor in chief for the Post, played by Tom Hanks, wants those papers too, since he sees the Times as his paper’s biggest competitor.  Image result for the post movie reviews

Please answer the following questions:

  1. A lot of the movie tries to be faithful to the 1971 time frame – pay phones, newspapers, teletype, black and white TVs, the clothes, etc.  How has life changed since then, and is this movie glorifying an age (the age of crusading newspapers) that may never come back?  Why or why not?
  2. Examine how the film portrayed Katherine Graham as the lone woman in a sea of powerful male players – lawyers, bankers, etc.  Provide specifics from the film as it shows her growth from socialiImage result for the post movie reviewste publisher to powerful player.
  3. The film’s reviews – many have made the case that this film is timely and completely relevant to today.  Freedom of the press is something that must be fought for, again and again.  You could see that Nixon had tried to muzzle the press with the injunctions against the Times and the Post, but the Supreme Court had rescued the press w/ its 6-3 decision in U.S. v. New York Times.  With what’s going on w/ the media (“fake news”) and other issues, how do you see this film as relevant and timely?  And why is freedom of the press so important?

400 words minimum for all  three questions. 

Due Monday, January 29 by class.  

NYT review – https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/21/movies/the-post-review-steven-spielberg-tom-hanks-meryl-streep.html

Variety review – http://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/the-post-review-tom-hanks-meryl-streep-1202631640/

 

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Posted January 15, 2018 by geoffwickersham in category Blogs

66 thoughts on “Blog #107 – The Post

  1. Brenden Kashat

    1. Life has changed in many ways since the 1970s. Technological advances are certainly the most obvious of these changes. TVs are no longer black and white, and pay phones have been obsolete especially since the creation of the cell phone. Additionally, reporters now type up their stories on computers, rather than typewriters. The political climate has changed as well. During the 1970s, the major political issues of the day were almost all related to the Cold War. The US military was fighting to contain communism in Vietnam, and the United States began diplomatic relations with mainland communist China, instead of the nationalist government on Taiwan. I believe that the movie is trying to glorify the age of crusading newspapers that may never return. With all of the scrutiny over whether or not the media is spreading truth or lies, the public will never trust the media the same way. Television is a more common medium for the media to share the news, rather than paper newspapers. Additionally, the media does not release bombshell stories like the Pentagon papers and Watergate in the 1970s. Often the media focuses on stories that ordinary Americans do not feel are very important, especially on channels with 24-hour news that are simply looking for stories to pass the time.

    2. Katharine Graham at the beginning was pertarade as kind of a mess who was just given her role at a smaller newspaper but as the movie goes on I think you develop a sense of respect for her being the only high up female executive who is really trying to work hard. I think the movie also displays how women even though the sixties and seventies, made big impacts on women’s rights, there was still so much that needed to be improved especially in the workplace. For example, the scene were Katharine walks into the board room with a bunch of other executives for a meeting and she was the only women out of like 20 men. Also, during that meeting when she tries to talk no one listens to her, they just talk over and then when she was taking good notes about the meeting and making good points, the man sitting next to her steals her notes, says it and is listened to because he is a man. This scene displays how much of an improvement we have made, to women being heard in the workplace since the seventies even though there is still work to be done. Now, I think if I was in Katharine Graham’s position and that happened to me in a meeting, I wouldn’t be afraid say something. Whereas back then she was just told basically to shut up and sit there. By the end of movie it shows how Katharine was not afraid to do what she believed and gained confidence.

    3.I think that this film is completely relevant to today, and I think that the issue of freedom of the press will always be relevant and important. Today the world of journalism is much more complicated, there are fake news websites that post completely misleading articles. Being an informed and critical reader is even more important. Our president seems to deem anything that portrays him in a bad light as fake news and it can be hard to differentiate. Instead of attacking news sources through lawsuits it has come to just calling them inaccurate and attacking the site. But these news stories are important, even when people don’t like how they make them look. The public needs to be informed and deserves to be. I don’t think that opinionated news is necessarily bad and it still needs to be protected under freedom of the press. It just means that people need to understand that the news they are receiving is biased, and they need to understand and read about both sides of the issue before coming to their own conclusions. Without freedom of the press and an informed public, the government can take advantage of people and morph their understanding of reality. People need to be given the facts and make their own decisions for our democracy to work effectively.

  2. Rachel Shulkin

    1. Through this film, there is a great clear contrast between the 1970’s and now. Some examples include the technology, homes, culture and family life. I noticed that in the homes of the characters of the film, they have rotary phones and typewriters which are completely nonexistent as of now, except for the occasional museum showing. The filmmakers put a large emphasis on the difference of lifestyle from then to now, even intricately dressing the cast proper attire and hairstyles that clearly encompass the time period, making it much more obvious how the time shapes the film.

    2. In The Post, The Washington Post is focused on as an emerging major newspaper source that is headed by a woman in the pivotal late 1970’s. Throughout the film, there are many hints at Katherine being the sole woman in a position like hers at the time. For examples, there are several important meetings where Katherine would sit at a table, clearly being the only woman at the table and being overshadowed by the men’s louder opinions. In the developing portion of the movie, I found that Katherine would often be put into uncomfortable positions such as this, where she was the only woman in the room, being shut out by the others; more important men. The filmmakers did a particularly excellent job in this field- I found it quite comparable to Battle of the Sexes, where the women in the film were clearly being oppressed and shut down by the men. On the contrary, by the end of the movie, there was a specific scene where Katherine is walking out of the courtroom from winning the case in the press’ favor, surrounded by women who look up to her as a shining figure at their rescue. To these women, Katherine appeared to be a savior; a power figure who stood up and claimed her power to prove men wrong, as well as push for change in her field. Although she had faced serious opposition by the men, Katherine’s resilience showed her true, strong character when she continued through by sticking to her gut and going off of her own decision-making skills other than listening to her male counterparts.

    3. Currently, the media is enveloped in stories that clash, often times telling five different sides of a single story. Similarly, the relevance of The Post is very well tailored to fit this time, putting up the rights of the press vs. the government’s power to control it. To broaden this topic, even more, both comparisons are set in times where government distrust has peaked; the Pentagon papers revealing deep secrets that the government refused to reveal to their population and a time where approval ratings for the POTUS have hit an all-time low. In regards to the press, it’s extremely crucial, especially at times where tension is high in the nation, that the media has free reign to advise and inform the American people. Other than being a constitutional right, freedom of speech is an important tool for people to utilize when there are other strains on the people to choose a side or feel a certain way about the state of their nation.

  3. Adrienne

    1.A lot has changed since the 1970s. Everything from the phones to the way of life has completely changed. Payphones are only used when killers don’t want their calls to be tracked and I don’t even know what a teletype is. Black and white tvs have almost entirely disappeared, with the only things still watched in black and white are recordings of old shows. Connectivity and electronics have completely changed and revolutionized the way we live today. Everyone is much more connected than it ever was and it’s changed the job world. Newspapers are less popular today than they were in the 70s, with countless news apps you can get and constant updates throughout the day.
    2. Katherine Graham had a hard job. In a male dominated industry she was trying to have her voice heard and make her decisions made. Throughout the movie it was referred to as her father’s company, not hers, because even a dead head of a company that’s a man has more weight than an alive woman in charge. There were many shots of her walking into packed board meetings, full of men. Her opinion wasn’t listened to and she struggled to have what she wanted happen. When they were deciding the future of the company, how much they were going to pay everyone etc, she had mounds of research done. But she never opened her mouth. She was the most prepared one there but she left everyone talk over her. She was constantly looking for validation and turning to her advisors for reassurance that what she was doing is right. But at the end of the movie we see her making the monumental decision to go ahead with printing the pentagon papers. She calls the newspaper/ the company hers and takes initiative.
    3. This movie is relevant to today. Media is hugely important and informative today. It’s so easy for anyone to publish anything and have people take it as fact. This is what’s lead to the increase in so called “fake news”. There’s a lot of uncertainty with Russia right now, but we do know that they’ve been involved in our elections and there’s been officials in our government that have had hidden, secret interactions with Russian officials. Having freedom of the press is incredibly important. Trump has tried to have certain news organizations banned from publishing certain things or have them barred from attending certain events. He wants his type of news published, and no others. It’s important that people can publish what they want to with no fear. People deserve a variety of news and information.

  4. Jacob Ellenbogen

    Life has changed dramatically since the 70’s, and this is mainly because of major developments in technology, as well as the increasing roles of women in our society. Technology-wise, in the 70’s many of the communications which were made by payphone would’ve been made with cell phones today, and a source like Daniel Ellsberg wouldn’t have to take such long tedious hours to copy and share the Pentagon Papers. As well, many of the meetings taking place in person between Graham, Bradlee, top wall street investors, and lawyers would most likely have taken place over video call instead of in person. One other thing that The Post gets right tonaly speaking is the spacing of the news cycle. Today, we’re living in a news cycle that is constantly developing and changing, and with news on all day on networks like CNN and FOX, and the internet being able to break stories at any time, we no longer have the 24 hour news cycle of times like the 70’s. The Post shows how important it was to be ahead in the news cycle. Since most papers published in the morning, if no one published a story the day before you plan to publish you’re probably good; That being said, during the 70’s as portrayed in the movie, the medium of television is in play, making it evermore difficult for newspapers to beat other sources to break a story. Finally, there is the role of women in the film. Nowadays, there is a pretty sizable amount of women in journalism, but it wasn’t that way in the 70’s. Regardless of how she achieved her position, Katherine Graham was in a position that made her uniquely powerful among women and among newspaper owners. Her ability to look at things in a different perspective, as one of the only women in the industry positioned her to do some special things, but to do those things she faced more challenges, as pioneers of every industry do. I’ll touch on this more in the next question, but in summary Graham had to struggle throughout the film to find her voice and to make it heard, showing what the world was like for working women throughout this time period, and showing some of the difficulties women still face today. This movie I believe is glorifying the age of newspapers, and I believe that this is the case because of the depth it shows in regards to the process a paper goes through when publishing. This movie touches more than I expected on the process of getting a paper ready for print, and it seems to take great detail in such process, a process which adds a sense of urgency to the plot, especially the third act. This process is not as important in the age of the internet, and the way it is highlighted in the film makes me see it as being glorified by Spielberg.

    On first thought, I didn’t really like how the film had portrayed the character of Graham. It seemed that she was always being pushed around, and she didn’t really stand out to me as a character that I should care about. But then I continued to examine the film, and realized that the portrayal of Graham by Streep was a stroke of genius. Throughout the film, Graham is being pushed to do things that she doesn’t necessarily want to do. She has to evaluate these tasks and decide whether the rewards are worth the risks. This is shown from her decision to go public to her decision to publish the papers. Throughout all this she is being pushed by the men of wall street, often pushed against her beliefs. While she never stops being shy and nervous when speaking with the men, she does by the end of the film assert her power as owner by defying their will and publishing anyway. This portrayal of Graham shows the strength of her character, especially as the lone woman in the industry during the time period. There is no one for her to model her actions off of, so she takes a stance based on her beliefs instead of letting the men control her, paving a path for other women to break into the field of journalism in the future.

    This film is relevant and timely because of how it addresses the issue of government oppression on reporting. The Post shows us an example of a time in the past where the media was under attack, a time when Nixon was trying to discredit the media similar to what Trump is doing today. The main difference is that because of the results of US v. New York Times, Trump can only verbally discredit the media rather than legally discredit it. That being said, the decisions that the media must make today do mirror the decisions of the newspapers during that time. It is still a rush to publish first, and the ethics of a story are still always called into question, as well as the validity of a source. Many of the factors of journalism are still the same today, and many of those values are under attack today. This film takes a stance that supports the media, and shows us why it is important for the media to keep the government honest, as it often seems that no one else can. Freedom of the press is important because it is an extension of freedom of speech. The American people have a right, as guaranteed by the constitution, to have a say in their government and to be able to speak their minds freely. When the government withholds information that is not vital to the safety of soldiers overseas, they are risking breaking that trust by sending out red herrings of false information. If a journalist gets information of such quality, they should have every right to inform the American people; and while it is hurtful to the integrity of a journalist, the trust of the American people, and the reputation of the government when a false story is published, the same thing happens when the government lies to the American people unnecessarily. Therefore, by reporting on the stuff that the government doesn’t like to get out, the press is a massive check on the government, a check that in the era of party over constituency is essential to the freedom of the American people. That is why freedom of the press is vital to our democracy today.

  5. Abby Nelson

    1. In a world of fast paced news, the concept of wanting to publish or not publish is not very much of a concern. Political scandals are common amongst politics, yet the deciding factor of that was the case of New York Times vs. The United States with regards to the pentagon papers. For Katherine, deciding whether to publish or not was a risk yet it seemed only so because of the heat that the New York Times drummed up. It seems as though the age of crusading newspapers is over, seeing as most of the important documents are on the internet. It seems as if the age has not ended, but changed since the time The Post is in. Instead of paper newspapers there’s online resources and a wider variety of “newspapers”. Main stories, such as political scandals, are reported not just on the big websites but on all forms of media.
    2. The film portrayed Katherine Graham as a strong independent woman who often feels scared about her choices. In the beginning of the film we hear her rehearsing her speech about how three million dollars from investors would allow the Washington Post to hire twenty five new employees. You can see from her manner that she is anxious and scared because of her going over the speech frequently. When she finally arrives in the room, she is the lone woman in a sea of men. She keeps her head down, surely terrified out of her mind if her deal does not go through or if she is seen as a weight to pull the Washington Post down. Later in the film we see that she inherited the business from her husband, who had previously died. The executives of the Post think she is incapable of managing it and makes very poor choices even though she is the publisher and does know what she is doing. Her character changes, however. Towards the end of the movie that question of whether to publish is the main issue, causing all sorts of quarrels within the executives of the Post and business executives. On the one hand, if publishing proves to be a success, the Washington Post would have the spark it needs in order to be seen by companies as a national news deliverer. On the other hand, if publishing fails, investors would pull out and she would possibly lose all the money she’s invested. In the end she decided to publish, which was a shock to so many people as she was a very reserved person.
    3. Freedom of the press is one of the most important freedoms we have. Without it we would not be able to get our content out to the world and know how the country deals with economical and political crisis’. Without freedom of the press, the people are kept in the dark about everything. Freedom of the press is important today because it allows us to see all the government’s doings, which is supposed to be provided. Because of the “fake news” president Trump says goes around, it gives us insight into the good and the bad world of politics. We hear about comments the president makes, economical improvements and disasters, political scandals, and so many other things that we would have been kept in the dark if the news had not reported on it. The film is completely relevant because it highlights the important cases of today while also demonstrating that history repeats itself.

  6. Ella Landers

    1)I think it was definitely interesting to see this portrayal of the 1970s. You can really tell the effort that went into making the environment seem realistic, from the cars to the clothes to the way everyone talked. It was admirable how the actors/actresses were able to portray these people so well, knowing some of them were kids during this time. Times have definitely changed since then, in almost all aspects. Clothes, appearances, jobs, etc etc. People from that time period would no doubt be shocked to see some of the differences between 2018 and 1971. The classic ‘newspaper’ is one of the most obvious ones for this case. Obviously, it’s not as common anymore to see people toting around a newspaper, or desperately buying one, having no access to any other news source. Nowadays, it’s significantly more common to see the news on TV, on an online website, or social media. This is a lot easier because you can search directly for a certain news article and find something directly. It’s also easier because the internet is infinitely large, and can fit a million different articles from a million different stories, while on a newspaper you have to read from the few stories the publisher thinks is most important. Obviously, the world has changed a lot since then, but I think the spirit that was alive then is still alive now, the energy that was displayed in this movie, the need/want to get the news out best for the people of the country.

    2) In the beginning of the film, Katherine would often be pushed aside, even despite being well prepared and knowledgeable at meetings with her coworkers. Even though she was at the highest position in the company, she might as well have the same power as a mere secretary. In addition to this, her male coworkers often spoke out about how unreliable the paper would look with her as the publisher, and how it would b better for her to step down. Eventually, she learned to speak out for herself, and secure her position in the company and essentially let everyone know who was boss. A good example of this is when she disregarded everyones opinion of what she should do about the pentagon papers, she did what she thought was right and most beneficial for the newspaper.

    3) I think this movie is extremely relevant with today’s current issues and social problems. OVer the past year or so, we have been dealing with ‘fake news,’ essentially, is this news true or not? I think it is easy to make the connection between some politicians today and Nixon, today’s politicians accusing news sources of making up lies and propaganda to slander certain people, as compared to Nixon accusing the NYT of breaking the law. Although I understand how it can sometimes be wrong to direct a certain news article in a certain way or opinion to support a specific political belief rather than stay neutral, I believe that it’s important for news sources to overcome statements and accusations of ‘fake news’ and continue to put out news for America, as it was important for the Post and the NYT to overcome any struggles with the government to put out their news.

  7. Nolan Kamoo

    1. The entire cast and crew developed and created an environment in the movie that showed the viewers what life would be like in the 1970s and most importantly how an insider would feel from the The Washington Post. As a viewer, I truly felt like I was one of the executives at the newspaper, while at the same time you get a perspective from an everyday person living in the 1970’s. However, times have changed since the 1970’s. Nowadays, where ever you go, everyone has some sort of personal technology device. Also, besides the personal devices, a lot of Americans have at home or work in a place that involves a computer or some other device to simplify tasks. Lastly, I don’t think that the movie glorified the age of newspapers or the 1970’s, simply because newspapers were the main way of communication between people back then. It was a crucial part of millions of Americans everyday. The movie could have been seen as it glorifying the newspapers because of how much change has occurred that I addressed previously. Also, no one is that accustomed to a different 40-year period, people have adapted to the change.

    2. At the beginning of the The Post, the main female character, Katherine Graham, played by Meryl Streep, is shown to the viewers as a shy woman who doesn’t display the usual “command” that a boss might show. Sexist, yes, but that is how times were back then and the movie portrays this perfectly. It is not Graham’s fault, either, just the times. In my opinion, Graham was portrayed as sort of a crowd-pleaser in the movie; she wanted to make everyone of her advisors and writers happy, when that will never be possible. Because of these sexist times, I feel that Graham at times felt overpowered by her advisors that were mainly men; they were given this stature over her because they were male. Many times Graham doesn’t get her opinion in decisions and simply takes the word of her advisors when ultimately it is her decision. What is good is as the plot develops throughout the movie, Graham starts taking greater command of her “team” and newspaper. The movie does a good job showing how Katherine Graham’s character changes, and that plays into the plot as well as just making a good movie. The audience starts to see Graham stand up for herself and protect herself against her advisors and mainly the male dominance she has been pushed under for so long. My favorite part of this movie was when Graham completely defied her demanding advisors on whether to publish or not in the newspaper. To see her do this was a complete transformation of her character in the film. She took charge of her newspaper and acted like the boss she wanted to be for so long.

    3. This film is relevant and timely to today’s culture. For example, during the during 2016 election period, specifically between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Many times during this period a controversial comment would be published in a newspaper or media source. This would then be followed by one of the candidates saying this was “fake news”. As a result, it is very hard for the public to be factually informed between being confused by all the differing sides. Whenever news is reported, there is some type of politician there to combat it; the nature of politics. This makes Freedom of the Press very foggy, in terms that people don’t know what to believe and what to write off. is important because it is crucial for the success of any country. The freedom of press needs to allow the public people to be a part of and in making decisions based on real and factual information. These decisions should be made on factual information given by the press, none of the foggy information clouded by politicians. Without this freedom of the press, we just live in a country where no one can know for sure what is true and what is not.

  8. James Laport

    1. Since the 1970’s we have made tremendous advances in multiple fields. This includes science, civil rights, education, and many many more. But, the greatest achievements we’ve made since then are those in technology. Before, there were seperate devices for everything. Your telephone, your computer, your calculator, they all had to be in its own sphere. Now, all of these devices can fit in the palm of your hand with the smartphone. Feats like these continue to amaze us with new, high definition screens, new forms of comfort and safety in our vehicles, and many more progressive movements. With all of these advancements, information has found new ways to get around to us. This means out with old newspapers, and in with things like snapchat articles that have the convenience of being just a few taps away. The movie does a terrific job of showing the differences between now and the 1970’s. But, I don’t necessarily think it is glorifying the newspaper era. For example, throughout the entire movie, grey undertones were used, portraying a somewhat boring office scene.
    2. At the beginning of the movie, Katherine Graham is portrayed as timid and not necessarily the demanding boss figure one would think the head of a company would be. Her authority is often overlooked by her male colleagues and even some men who are beneath her in the company. In fact, in one of the first scenes of the movie, when she was meeting with bankers and one of them put her down by saying something along the lines of “women weren’t meant for power positions.” But, throughout the movie, Graham grows to show a new sense of confidence by making the executive decision to publish the Washington Papers.
    3. This movie is relevant to the times because it highlights all of the accusations made by president Donald Trump of “fake news.” Every time he hears something about himself that he doesn’t like, he simply dismisses it as “fake news.” This shut down of freedom of the press by the president can be considered as very bad for the media.

  9. charlie hardy

    1. Since the era of the 1970s, life has dramatically changed. The introduction of mobile phones with touch screens and the portability of computers helps with the spread of information and news easier than it was in the 1970s. Since physical newspapers were the one of only ways to get information back then, and since technology was less developed, it was easier to hide things from the public than it is today. I don’t necessarily think this movie is glorifying an age of crusading newspapers that may never come back, but rather showing today’s public the impact that such crusading newspapers had on the public back then. I think this because the movie set to show the viewer this major event in time to educate, and show the victories of crusading newspapers back then.
    2. The film portrayed Kathy Graham in different ways throughout the film. At first, Graham was shown as a timid woman trying to mark her place in a bunch of male dominated industries. She was told that her status would make her company seem less important than it actually is if she were to take it public. Scenes like the the one in the beginning of the movie where Graham has to go to a meeting with all other men show just how timid and obedient she felt she had to be. Graham first places her books and papers on the table, but takes a quick survey of the room and sees that no one else has done this. She then takes her books and papers down, and it’s not until another man in the room does the same thing she did that she puts her books and papers back. As the movie progresses, you can see Graham’s change in demeanor when she has to make a decision on whether or not to publish the Pentagon Papers. Against everyone’s disapproval and advisory against publishing the papers, Graham makes her own choice to publish the papers, while asserting some dominance as someone who has actual power in this field. You can see a certain confidence form in Graham as the movie progresses, and women start to look up to her.
    3. With what’s going on in the media and “fake news” and other issues, I see this film as relevant and timely because today, in the age of technology and and a hyper sense of distrust in the government, it is much easier to spread around information. Given this, it is just as easy for this information to be false. With our president wanting to sensor the media because he doesn’t like what he sees, this movie is very relevant and timely because it looks over the same issue in history. This is another example of how history does indeed repeat itself. Freedom of the press is so important because it proves us a failsafe for protecting the public from oppression by our own government. Without freedom of the press, whatever the government or laws are restricting us from saying would be unbeknownst to the public, which could be dangerous to our livelihood. Freedom of press can be seen as a check and balance to the federal government and the spread of information, for without it we might not have the same rights or privileges we do today.

  10. Andrew Scivoletti

    1)I think it was definitely interesting to see this portrayal of the 1970s, and more specifically this news skeptical that was the publishing of the pentagon papers. You can really tell the amount of effort that went into making the setting and characters seem realistic, from the cars to the clothes to the slang used by the main characters. It truly was amazing how the actors/actresses were able to portray these people so well in truly almost all aspects of their lives. The classic “newspaper” is one of the most obvious ones for this case. Obviously, it’s not as heavily used as it was back in the 1970’s. Though they may be still purchased, looked at, or found on the side of the road. People just have ample more ways to obtain news nowadays. It is just significantly more common to see the news on TV, on an online website, or social media today. Most say this is purely because of ease of access, it also made it a lot easier to search directly for a certain piece of news. Obviously, the world has changed a lot since then, but I think the spirit that was alive then is still alive now, the energy that was displayed in this movie, the needs wants by the characters to get the news, or in this case the pentagon papers, published best for the people and the country.
    2) In the beginning of the film Katherine, the woman owner of the Huffington, would often be pushed aside by the other men despite being well prepared and knowledgeable at meetings with her fellow board leaders. Katherine was also at the highest position in the company, she was treated as if she had the same power as a secretary. Which sadly is how most women were treated back in the 1970’s. In addition to this, her male coworkers often spoke out about how unreliable the paper would look with her as the publisher, and how purely because she was a woman she would do a worse job than a man in the same position would do. Eventually, she learned to speak out for herself, and show the other men in her position that she could perform well and essentially let everyone know who owned the company. A good example of this is was when she disregarded all other people’s opinion of what she should do about the pentagon papers and decided to publish them for the benefit for the newspaper and the country.
    3) I think this movie is extremely relevant with today’s current issues when it comes to social problems. Over the past couple years or so we have been dealing with all of the ‘fake news,’ essentially and all of the disguised propaganda. I think it is easy to make the connection between some politicians today and Nixon, today’s politicians accusing news sources of making up lies and propaganda to slander their reputation as a politician and a person, as compared to Nixon accusing the NYT of breaking the law. Although I understand how it can sometimes be wrong to direct a certain news article in a certain way or opinion to support a specific political belief rather than stay neutral, I believe that it’s important for news sources to overcome statements and accusations of ‘fake news’ and continue to put out news unedited for what it is, as it was important for the Post and the NYT to overcome any struggles with the government to put out their news.

  11. Wyatt Heaton

    1. I don’t believe the “Age of Crusading Newspapers” has died. In fact, I believe the newspapers are more fired up and important than ever. Just take The Washington Post’s new slogan; “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” This change occurred in response to President Trump’s claims that the media is “The enemy of the people,” and resonates as a beginning of renewed fury in the media. All of the big media outlets constantly try and make their points and positions clear and heard, with coverage of things such as the President’s “S***hole” comment and the allegations that he was colluding with the Russian government during his campaign.
    2. The two events in the movie that most greatly highlight Katharine’s growth from a socialite to the actual head of the paper are the boardroom meeting near the end of the movie and when she finally makes the decision to publish the pentagon papers. During the board meeting, she presents facts and statistics about the paper going public. She is ignored and pushed around by the “more experienced,” and “more important” men of the paper. The men treat her almost like a child, speaking down to her and in simple, “easier” terms, and Katharine goes along with this, following their instructions and playing the role of the ditzy heiress. When she decides to release the papers, this notion is flipped on its back. The men from the board room try to play the same games with her that they had been earlier in the movie, but she trusts her own intuition and makes a decision on her own accord.
    3. The media is relevant today as in the early ‘70s primarily because of the similarities in the state of our nation to that of the Nixon era. We continue to pour troops into an endless war, this time in Afghanistan, Iraq, as well as other Middle Eastern countries, and our President and his Administration is incredibly secretive about their true intentions. This leaves it to the media to inform the general population of our nation’s goals and ideals. I believe the main reason the USA places such an emphasis on the media is the theory of Social Contract we so strongly hold. The theory states that if a government becomes corrupt, or infringes upon the people’s rights, it is the right of the people to reform, replace, or otherwise fix the government in a way that protects their rights. The media allows a third-party, relatively unbiased, and nongovernmental group to inform the people of the government’s actions, therefore notifying the people of an oppressive government and telling them when it is time to make a change. Not only does the media act like an early warning system for oppressive government, it also is a very visible barometer of governmental pressure and oppression. When the media is filtered and censored by the government, or when it is shut out of the government, one knows that the current state of the government is heading down an authoritarian track.

  12. Joseph DeMarco

    1. I think that the movie did a great job on historical accuracy as in I believe that everything shown really fit the early 1970’s time frame, nothing seemed really out of the normal. I think that since the early 70’s, life has changed in the United States drastically. Since the 70’s, there have been many, many technological innovations that have really changed our lives. The flat screen TV as well as the video gaming system takes up many boys times and our phones essentially control our lives. With the better versions of TV, come hundreds of new networks that basically replace newspaper today. I think that the movie is definitely trying to glorify this time frame that may never come back through its use of the technology at the time and it does this by putting a lot of emphasis on the technology at the time. One example would be the scene where many people were on the home phone at a time discussing whether or not to publish the papers with the documents on them. The movie tries to show off the technology at the time by showing that many people can call from the same house at a time. The movie also does this when people were watching the TV as shown on the blog. The scene centers everyone around one small black and white TV which grabs the center of attention of everyone in the theater. Overall, I do think that the movie tried to glorify that specific age of technology as that glorious age may never come back.
    2. The movie definitely made Katharine stand out among the group of male players at the end, but at the beginning, the movie almost made it look like Kay was pushed aside at many of the meetings. The male bankers and such would really denounce Kay as a woman in a male environment, and made remarks about women in leading roles among men. One of these examples is when Kay is in the meeting with many of the bankers in the beginning before they begin to look down on her as merely a woman. Towards the end of the movie though, her leadership starts to show a lot, looking down upon the men working and sorting out the papers while she is partying, and when they need permission from Kay to release the papers, she feels a sense of power as many men are trying to convince her to both release or hold the papers back. She feels this sense of power as her role lets her make the ultimate decision, one of the biggest decisions that she’ll ever make. This decision will lead to her fame and more importantly, her representation among women as a woman that can fight for freedom.
    3. Freedom of the Press is extremely relevant to the American people today, in a society where billions of dollars are put into providing the people with the current events and millions of hours of media watched each year. With what’s going on today in our society with our president criticizing our media, this film is very relevant. This film is relevant to our current situations because it’s a good example of media fighting back against the government after it’s rights were attempted to be taken away. This is extremely unlike today’s situation, as in 1983, 90% of media was controlled by 50 companies, but in 2011, 90% of our media was controlled by 6 corporations (http://www.businessinsider.com/these-6-corporations-control-90-of-the-media-in-america-2012-6). Although our president is calling these news networks fake news and attacking them, the corporate tax cuts and other benefits corporations receive show an awfully suspicious connection to the government by these corporations. In my opinion, this connection by the corporations and the government today show that if something as big as the Pentagon Papers were to be released, then these corporations would not let these news companies release them because of this connection. The reason why the film is relevant to today is because the film shows possibly the last time that our news network would fight for our people’s rights to know this information. The fact that these news networks are connected to the corporations which are connected to the government say that the news networks will possibly not fight for our side next time.

  13. Cariel Gamlin

    Honestly the way the newspaper age was written wasn’t glorified because it showed a realistic process of the revision and publishing to writing a newspaper. For example the idea to talk and ask “is this okay to be published”. The pressure was heavy after all this was seen as treason. The age of newspapers helped showed on the bounds of what freedom of press is. I think the age hasn’t really been extinct but evolved. jWe no longer use printed newspapers but use the same sources like the Washington Post online using smartphones. Though it seems this form of communications is going to become a relic , it’s the opposite. The newspaper is in fact becoming deeply relied on. However how we retrive the source is different instead of paper.

    She became stronger throughout the movie. One great example is how in the very beginning when she addressed her own staff member in private when he was explaining how she did have the prowess for the job. Now though this was the beginning before much change this was the honest start for her becoming a strong independent person. Another was when she started to hear others opinions out and hears it all and chooses her path. The first instance of this was when she decided to post the papers. Though herr advisors said no she decided it’s what her husband would want. She wanted quality over quantity. And she made sure her staff heard it the first time around. Now when she found out that they may have the same source as the New york times. It wasn’t a surprise that she went of the handle and explained how she was sick and tired of hearing underlings telling her the choices she should make. She owned the company and she made sure they understood when she said let them still post.
    This topic in the movie is relevant because of the simple idea addressed in the constitution : Freedom of press. It seemed like such an easy Idea yet time and time again our heavily democratic pro big federal government has altered the rules some might say. The idea was freedom of speech yet now it is questioned when journalist aren’t even able to ask our president a question on what he is doing to reform our government. Too say a news source is unreliable or “fake news” due to slander or criticism would make news. That’s is disputably news: what he did and she said.Then maybe the occasional I think. If the News outlets you are saying are unreliable yet the way the rest of the country disagrees maybe you might want to redefine your fake news.Freedom of the press is what shapes opinions and gives perspective. How will the other party change their minds when your leader is taking a newspaper to court. How will that show you and how is it democratic to filter news and information and perspective it is a huge basis of freedom. Did Thomas Paine not write a pamphlet titled common sense and change the opinions of people to go pro revolution. To conclude news is what shapes people and their opinions.

  14. geoffwickersham (Post author)

    APUSH BLOGS 1-28-18

    Life has changed so much since that time period. We have a computer in our back pockets that are called smartphones. I do think that they are glorifying that age because it shows that there was a time where there were only a few big newspapers. The Washington Post was not one of them. During this time the post was not the big superstar newspaper that it is today. The Washington Post was a small hometown newspaper. In terms of the crusading newspaper part I do think that are glorifying that time period when there were only a few newspaper and the internet hadn’t been invented yet so it is a time that we will never go back to. The clothes stay pretty conservative and they stay pretty close to how people dressed back then so that is something that.
    The portrayed Graham as a renaissance woman. It portrayed her at first as someone who was only at the table was because of who she married. She was someone that was who didn’t have any expertise in the field that she was in. She was portrayed as somebody who didn’t know what she was doing. She quickly became an extremely powerful player in the industry very quickly throughout this movie. She became a great negotiator and power player in the news industry. She makes the WaPO public which is a move that didn’t have it’s contractors or people who didn’t think that the move would work out. People didn’t think that a socialite would be able to guide the company through this new period of growth. Graham sure proved the doubters wrong.
    I most definitely do think that the film is completely timely and relevant because we need the news media and the press to be the top of their game to withstand all of the attacks that they are getting from the White House. The free press is essential to a democracy. Without the free press we do not have a functioning democracy. We need a free press to make sure that we have a honest government. Without a legitimate free press we are left without both of those things. As in terms with what is going on with fake news issues and other issues along those lines I think that it is something that is very troubling in our country. When we have a president who disparages the media that is a very bad thing and it extremely relevant today. I believe that there are some parallels between what happened back then and what is happening now.

    Devin R.

  15. Joey Llope

    Life has changed a lot since the year 1971. Technology is advancing so fast nowadays and it does not take that long for something to be replaced or become obsolete. The last time I saw someone use a payphone or even a flip phone was at least three years ago and the last place I saw a typewriter, which is what I assume a Teletype is, was a museum. More importantly, we have huge strides towards equality for women and minorities in the last few decades. I don’t think the age of Crusading Newspapers will ever return because people just don’t trust the media like they used to. More and more people are starting to turn away from the media giants like CNN and FOX and resort to social media for their news.
    As a women in a position of power, Kathrine was way ahead of her time. Near the beginning of the movie, it showed her as unconfident and nervous when she was in a meeting. She kept getting talked over by men and after the meeting the started questioning her authority behind her back. As the movie progresses, she starts to gain confidence and proves herself to be worthy of her position. One moment where she showed a lot of character development was when a man started to talk over her and she told him to shut up. Also she made the decision to publish the pentagon papers in spite of several men telling her not to do so.
    Freedom of the press is important because people deserve to have unrestricted access to news and they deserve not to be fed propaganda and lies. In countries without freedom of press nothing stops the government from lying to their citizens. For example in North Korea they tell people Kim Jong Il outshined every professional golfer that ever lived on his first game by scoring 11 Hole-In-Ones. Im not kidding here’s a link https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/golf/golf-course-north-koreas-leader-11325632. That’s just one example I find kind of funny and im sure it gets way worse than that. Not that I would ever criticize True Korea and their Glorious Supreme Leader who can lift 20 times his weight and killed Connor Mcreagor in a boxing match. I think the film remains relevant today because the media is constantly under attack by our president and a lot of his supporters

  16. Sam Grasl

    Sam Grasl
    Mr. Wickersham, B16
    APUSH B, 2nd

    Blog #107 – The Post

    Answer to Question One:

    Life has changed in many ways since 1971. Such as the advancements of technology, the rise of social equality, and the way of politics. The Post has greatly glorified the times of the crusading newspapers, they showed that through all the mayhem and confusion, they create something amazing. The age of newspapers was a beautiful time, but sadly that time has come and gone. The age of the newspaper has past and sadly it might never slither its way into the future solely because of the ancient of technology, specifically the phone. Now a days people can read the news on their phone/computer/tablet anytime they want without any worries. Or they would personally listen to it throughout the day. The newspaper as great as it was, could be inefficient at times, for they have a deadline, they must finish their paper and process it all before 4:00am to ship them off to the store that actually sell the paper. Another reason why the newspaper will sadly never come back is because with online news it gives rid of the middle man, online news goes from the journalists straight to the consumer.

    Answer to Question Two:

    In the beginning of the film, Katherine Graham was just the Owner who always listened to her advisers and never truly showed her power. In the beginning Mrs. Graham was always worried of what her people thought of her, and that all changed when she gave the go ahead to publish the papers. Before her permission of publishing, Mrs. Graham was not involved in really any aspects of the Washington Post other than her trying to keep it alive and thriving. But afterwards he was finally acting like the owner that she is, she disobeyed her advisors and published the Vietnam papers. And when the company got sued she held true to her people and won the court case.

    Answer to Question Three:

    In this time and age fake news is a major issue there is constantly fake news being posted and displayed throughout the media. The movie The Post shows great relevance to this time in the world because it showed the corruption of the White House, and the fake news that they displayed to the public. Freedom of Press is so important in America and needs to be defended for we as a people deserve the right to know what the heck is going in our economy, congress, and what will happen to us if something ever happens.

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