“Can people access to a reliable source that spreads only true facts?” is a question that is really hard to answer. Manipulation is one of the main issues when the topic is related to both individuals and heads. People as human beings are manipulative and they cannot always follow the ultimate correct way even if they try to. However, some choices may become very significant if they affect lots of people. The Post is telling one of those choices that Kay Graham faced with. The film includes publication ban and gender inequality as subtopics which are told with the disclosure of how the White House has been lying about America’s success at the Vietnam War.
In the first scene, we see the war and Daniel Ellsberg who is sent to Vietnam to investigate the war. On the way back to America, Robert McNamara who is the secretary of defense, tells the people on the plane that they are not going to win. However, when they arrive in America, he tells the media that they are doing just great. This situation is also about banning because McNamara told a lie to media with the knowledge that the people will learn the situation of the war from the media. He banned the media with a lie. Since Ellsberg is aware of the real situation, he has to face an inner conflict about which side he should stand: people or government. When he copied some documents from the Pentagon, we understand that he chose people. From this part, we follow what happens from The Post perspective. While The Post is trying to prepare news about unimportant datum, the New York Times prepared news with those documents that Ellsberg copied from the Pentagon. People’s attention turns to the NYT and media got banned about those documents. The NYT stopped to publish and prepare some news about those documents. Ben Bradlee, the editor of The Post, and Katharine Graham, the proprietor-publisher of The Post are shocked about how the NYT reached such important documents. Katharine Graham’s father gave the paper to Katherine’s husband and when her husband died, Katharine became the boss of The Post. At first, she had no confidence and she could not easily say her thoughts but she accepted what men said. After the media ban, The Post also tried really hard to reach those documents and they also got them from the same source. Katharine had to give an important decision about those documents. She was a mother and this also affected her decision since the war was not a must and lots of young people died at war, she defended that the only way to protect the right to publish is to publish. With this decision of Katharine, she got rid of the pressure of men and she defined her place clearly.
In 1971, America’s attitude about the Vietnam War became a significant example for media to stand against the bans of the government. Some bans can be necessary but their necessity can be understood only if it is searched. In the case that this film narrating, the government tries to ban the media to cover the truth with adorned lies. If the reason for the ban was a secret that needs to stay hidden, it would be wrong to publish with people. Both the New York Times and The Post authorities knew that the ban was to protect the lies so what Katharine Graham decided was the only way to protect the democracy. With her actions, she also played a role in gender equality. The ending scene was about the Watergate Scandal and that scandal leaded Nixon’s resignation. All the situations of this film supported the idea that the free press was to serve the governed, not the governors.
References
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