“A Star-Studded Drama About the Washington Post’s Decision to Publish the Pentagon Papers”
This Washington Post story about the new Tom Hanks-Meryl Streep movie, “The Post,” includes a two minute-thirty second trailer for the movie, which will be released in late December, in time for the Oscars. The story says, “This won’t be the first time a story about The Washington Post vies for awards glory. ‘All the President’s Men’ won four Oscars in 1977, though the movie lost the best picture prize to ‘Rocky.’ However, Jason Robards, who played Bradlee, won for best supporting actor.”
Some background:
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Hanks, Streep to star in Pentagon Papers film
Abe Rosenthal of the New York Times and Ben Bradlee of the Washington Post.
Oscar winners Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep and Steven Spielberg are joining forces for a drama about the fourth estate called “The Post,” which chronicles The Washington Post’s legal battle to publish the classified Pentagon Papers in 1971.
—The Washington Post, March 7, 2017
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From the August 1971 Washingtonian magazine:
Laurels and more to the New York Times for what may be the story of the decade—the acquisition of the Pentagon papers, the painstaking examination of the documents, the breaking of the story, and the successful court fight to lift the noose of prior government restraint.
Update: A tweet from the Washington Post’s Paul Farhi, the lamest and most disingenuous media writer in the history of Washington journalism:
There are roughly 32 people in America who care about whether the Times gets credit or not in this movie. They all work on 8th Avenue.
Postscript: I first called Paul Farhi lame and disingenuous when he protested on Twitter that everyone should stop saying that Amazon owns the Washington Post. Yes, Jeff Bezos, an individual, owns the Washington Post but it’s a legal distinction, not a real world distinction. Jeff Bezos and Amazon are one and the same. Check out how Bezos is using Amazon Plus to build up Washington Post circulation. The earlier Farhi tweet and reaction:
Paul Farhi@farhip
Couple, three facts here: 1. Amazon doesn’t own the Post; 2. Have never heard Jeff Bezos order up a story; 3. http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/29/technology/amazon-sales-tax/index.html
Paul Farhi is the media columnist of the Washington Post and in entering President Trump’s wrestling ring he’s pulling the newspaper down to Trump’s level. Some facts:
1. Amazon doesn’t own the Post. Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post and Jeff Bezos is Amazon. Bezos and Amazon are one and the same.
2. Have never heard Jeff Bezos order up a story. No, you wouldn’t—you’re too low on the masthead. Any experienced editor will tell you that the pressure from above, assuming the owner and the publisher aren’t stupid, will be subtle and confined to the top of the masthead. No orders, nothing in writing, just some talk about what’s good for the paper’s health and continued existence.
3. Farhi’s link is to a CNNMoney story headlined “Amazon to start collecting state sales taxes everywhere.” The story goes on to say:
For years Amazon was one of the leaders in the fight to keep online purchases tax free. But as it has moved to offer faster and faster deliveries, it has expanded its network of distribution centers and started collecting sales taxes in more and more states.
President Trump is open to attack on many fronts but lame and disingenuous tweeting is not how journalists should do it.