The Post - The Movie

I went to see the movie "The Post".  This is a movie I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to see a really good story.   Or, I should say, stories.

Of course, the major plot is The Post  trying to catch up to the news scoop by the New York Times of releasing what became known as The Pentagon Papers.  But, there is so much more.

There is the whole issue about the immorality of the Vietnam War, and sacrifices caused by the Vietnam War, as well as the conflict the war has caused in the United States society.  

There is the issue of the people in the press using a double standard to report the news based on their personal relationship with those involved, a common practice in years past(and present).

There is the major issue of deceit by the government for decades, known to those in power all that time, and not acting on the facts.  Who says we can trust the government?

Central to the plot is upholding of the first amendment, the freedom of the press, and the need to protect sources which is essential if the press does its "job" to keep society informed of events in government and politics.

There is the issue of the role of women in society, and how Kathryn Graham just accepted that her father would give The Post to her by the time of the movie deceased  husband, while she stayed home and raised the family and maintained her social life.  And the movie shows how she ran the newspaper, and maintained her social life. 

There is the issue of the relationship between President Nixon and The Post.

And, of course, the desire of The Washington Post to be more than a home town newspaper, but remain family owned, and survive financially. 

And, all the while I watched the movie, I was thinking about our current day president and his relationship with the press, his obvious attempts to present a different story than the press often presents, and his claims about "fake news" as well as his denials of things we have seen and heard from his own self while on TV.  Obviously, the nuances similarities are intentional.

Those of us who lived in that era know the history, but if the movie can hold your interest when you know the outcome, it has to be good.  And it was.