The guy who led the NY Times Pentagon Papers team died this week. He was the real deal.
It’s useful to consider the history, let me grossly over simplify and butcher it for you:
- The first newspaper that existed in the colonies was banned by Britain for publishing things our rulers didn’t like.
- The news carried on in the colonies despite British Government opposition. Most news back then was reckless, sensational and partisan.
- Leap to 1820s – about 50% of Americans had a news subscription.
- The term ‘Fake News” existed and was used to discount the media’s credibility.
- Through the mid 1900s journalism became a profession. Journalists became educated and started using standards of truth and accuracy. Credit Walter Lippman, the father of modern journalism, for this.
- Late 60s – Newspapers wrestled with how to cover the Vietnam War as public support began to dwindle.
- The Top Secret Pentagon study which showed the government as misleading the American public about the war was giving to a New York Times journalist.
- The New York Times published contents and stories on the contents on June 13, 1971.
- The courts forced the Times to cease publication on June 14 (first and only time this ever happened, I think).
- The Washington Post published their version on June 18.
- On June 30th the Supreme Court ruled the government could not prevent the papers from publishing.
The Pentagon Papers was the modern break between the press and the government. The government tried to stop the press and eventually failed.
The owners and editors of America’s most influential newspapers decided that the people had a right to know and the government could not stop them. They did not bend to financial pressure or the threat of prosecution.
Journalists and journalism in America, especially in the Department of Defense, is here to stay. Don’t take that for granted.
As a public affairs pro, you better get to know some journalists.
Photo by Scott Sturkol
“Ultimately, freedom of information is critical for a democracy to succeed. We become better, stronger and more effective societies by having an informed and engaged public that pushes policymakers to best represent not only our interests but also our values. Journalists play a major role in the promotion and protection of democracy and our unalienable rights, and they must be able to do their jobs freely. Only truth and transparency can guarantee freedom.” – Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)
