A few weeks ago, I saw award-winning Director Steven Spielberg’s The Post with a handful of classmates. Encompassing themes surrounding journalism, feminism, and the First Amendment, the movie appealed to my passion for both writing and politics. The fact that the movie hosted a cast of film and TV heavyweights made it even more appealing.
The film follows the true story of The Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, played by Meryl Streep, as she leads her editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) and a team of reporters in a race to publish the Pentagon Papers. Playing out over the course of 48 hours, the film follows Graham and her team as they deliberate issues of national security, privacy and the right to public information. Ultimately, it was up to Graham made the call to publish, defying an injunction by the Nixon White House, jeopardizing her entire company… and her freedom. The Washington Post published, the government sued, and the ensuing legal battle was victorious for both Graham, and the preservation of the First Amendment.
Following The Washington Post and New York Times’s dramatic court win, Nixon banned The Washington Post from the White House. The following year, a security guard reported a burglary at the Watergate Hotel. Soon, an administration was brought to its knees. Without the work of The Washington Post staff, and Katherine Graham’s ultimate decision to publish, decades of government cover-ups could have gone unnoticed.
In a year dominated by powerful women, Spielberg’s The Post could not be more relevant. Though the movie’s narrative focuses on the relationship between press freedom and the law, the undercurrents of modern-day feminism is undeniable.What could have been slated as a fascinating retelling of a historical event, evolved into a stirring search for justice: in more ways than one. Struggling to navigate a male-dominated business world, Graham is a portrayed as a woman who is overlooked and talked over by her colleagues. One scene stood out to me: sitting in a boardroom full of male colleagues, Graham had prepared a speech, but as she stares at her well-rehearsed note cards, her male counterpart began to speak for her. And suddenly, Katherine Graham’s story became all too familiar.
If the recent #MeToo movement is any indication, women today still face similar situations: a threat of silence. Much like Graham, victims of sexual assault are often overlooked and unheard. When they do choose to speak up, they often undergo tedious legal battles, battling a system that is often unhelpful and unwelcoming. Yet, in the face of her largest opposition, Graham preceded to do something women are embracing three decades later: she fought to be heard.
Graham’s story and the stories of thousands of women speaking out against sexual assault exemplify the power of a single voice. Whether it be a publisher uncovering government secrets, a writer putting words to an experience, or simply a brief note of #MeToo, one voice can bring down years of institutional wrongdoing.
As the movie draws to a close, Katherine Graham walks slowly down the steps of the Supreme Court while a line of women stare at her in admiration. She stands triumphant and teary-eyed, but exhausted. As she should be. No one said shattering glass ceilings was easy.
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