I was the publisher for The Washington Post through the Nixon administration. Watergate and the Pentagon Papers were the most controversial and exciting news stories that we published. While I knew the consequences of publishing information and reporting that went against the President’s wishes, I did it anyway. [1] I would never stop the Post from publishing something just because someone in power didn’t like it. I work to protect free speech and the press as well as the values of keeping the government accountable.
As a publisher of the NSA leak stories, I will act no differently. If releasing these documents and reporting to the public will allow for more governmental transparency, there doesn’t seem to be a reason that I shouldn’t. As I did with Watergate, I will give my reporters space to search for their truths and encourage low levels of bias in their work.
[1] Christopher Surridge, “‘You’re gonna make it after all…’: The Education of Katharine Graham,” Historic America, 26 Jan 2021, https://www.historicamerica.org/journal/katharine-graham.Image Credits:
Marion S. Trikosko, Katharine Graham, publisher of The Washington Post seated at desk, photograph, Library of Congress, 7 April 1976, https://d14rkevpv7zazs.cloudfront.net/next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.prismic.io%2Fnyhs-prod%2F26adb0ad-d582-4064-9851-edd350cf93c4_Katharine-Graham-seated-at-desk-April-7%252C-1976.jpg%3Fauto%3Dcompress%2Cformat&w=2560&q=75.