Former Post editor tells of scandals

Bradlee shares importance of free press

Benjamin Bradlee Jr.

Lies and scandals play a large role in politics, according to the former executive editor of The Washington Post, who spoke Wednesday in the Wilson Hall Auditorium.

Introduced by President Linwood Rose as a "testament to a vital and free press," Benjamin Bradlee Jr. discussed his 23 years as executive editor of The Washington Post. The theme of this year's James Madison Day was the First Amendment, according to Rose, and in turn Bradlee was invited to speak.

"If it were not for Benjamin Bradlee, very few of us would have heard of [the Watergate Scandal]," Rose said. He then highlighted Bradlee's leadership skills and courage throughout the years at The Washington Post.

Bradlee focused most of his speech on the importance of the media as a "lie detector" — something which instinctively is alert to political and corporate wrongdoing. "The public is constantly immunized to lying," Bradlee said. "It has simply become another tool to sell by."

Using his decades of experience in Washington, D.C., Bradlee then took on the topic of politics and how rampant lies are within the political system. "If we cannot trust the president, who can we trust?" Bradlee asked.

Bradlee pointed out the need for truth in politics is not a new public request.

According to Bradlee, presidents have lied almost consistently over the last century for varying reasons.

Though some lies were necessary in dealing with the public, Bradlee believes other lies were irresponsible and hurt the nation.

"President [Bill] Clinton's lies further alienated an already-weary public," Bradlee said. Since the Vietnam War and the unjust lies presented to the American public at the time, he said, Americans have not been able to trust their own government and thereby continue to lose faith in the system of government.

It was during Bradlee's tenure that The Washington Post unraveled the Watergate Scandal, which ultimately put 48 people in jail and lead to the resignation of former President Richard Nixon.

The government did not always agree that Bradlee and The Washington Post were correct in their coverage, and were, in turn, sued by the United States for publishing the Pentagon Papers, according to Bradlee. The government asserted that such publications were a breach in national security, and the case was taken as far as the Supreme Court.

Exposing the Watergate Scandal and Pentagon Papers, a major scandal involving President Richard Nixon in 1972, and coverage of the Vietnam War secured not only The Washington Post's, but also Bradlee's place in journalistic history, according to Rose. Under his leadership, The Washington Post received 18 Pulitzer Prizes.

In the end, the case was dismissed based upon the Bill of Rights and freedom of the press discussed in the First Amendment.

"I found [Bradlee's] comments to be interesting and an important part of history," junior Megan Miller said. "He undoubtedly did a great service to this nation through his news coverage and relentless search for the truth."