Movie Review - "The Post"

Anne and I ventured to our small theater here in Edmonds this weekend to see a very timely and relevant film for our times, "The Post".

Without being political (hopefully instead being constitutional), it is easy to feel these days that the foundations of our democracy are under a lot of negative pressure.   Our institutions seem at risk.   While those foundations are historically strong, they are also delicate and balanced.     Nowhere is this more evident today than in the seemingly every-present assault on the media, or "the press" as it was called  by our founding fathers  and in the context of this movie, which takes place in the early 1970's.

The right to free speech and a free press, guaranteed by our Constitution and its amendments, are right up there with the right to worship freely, bear arms, and our pursuit of happiness.    It's all a package.

It is somewhat reassuring to remember through The Post that the press has been under attack before, many times.    The comparisons to today's climate are no accident, given the filmmaker (Steven Spielberg) and some of the key actors (Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep).     There's no doubt they wanted to serve up a good helping of history to help us remember how incredibly necessary our free press is, and what a significant part of the checks and balances our system needs today.

The movie tells the story of Daniel Ellsberg and th Pentagon Papers, a study commissioned basically by the military (Robert MacNamara) on the conduct and prospects of the Vietnam War.    The real story of the movie, however, is the attack the New York Times was under from the White House, which was essentially attempting to quash news stories they didn't like.    The issues were before the courts up to and including the Supreme Court. 

While the attacks were not as blatant and frequent and there was no Twitter at the time, the press was under serious and fundamental threat of being controlled by the presidency and the courts.    Today's attacks of "fake news" (just this morning the president tweeted that the reports on the accidental missile launch threat in Hawaii was "fake news", but underneath it all is the same fundamental desire to discredit the media in order to be able to stop it and control it - and we Americans can't allow that to happen.

Admittedly, today's media is somehow harder to defend than the stalwarts  of our constitutional rights The Post portrays.   Ben Bradlee, the legendary editor of the Washington Post in those days, cuts quite a different figure than the average cable news anchor of today. 

Our media, in its incredible diversity and in-your-face presence, can be difficult for anyone to take.    Anne and I really never watched cable news until the 2016 election cycle - and it has been a shock to see how "news" has evolved into 24/7 repetition of the two or three stories of the moment - and the degree to which key outlets are either gleefully attacking or blindly defending the white house.  Water cooler gossip is treated as "Fact" from "anonymous sources"; barely verified "facts" from questionable-at-best but at least identified sources are treated as gospel.   As musch as the decorum and integrity of the Presidency itself, Journalistic integrity has taken many torpedoes broadside and is taking on water. 

Todays "news" has also broken some of the fundamental tenets of journalism, especially in making themselves a part of the story.    Today's "panels" team-analyzing a given situation are usually journalists being interviewed by like-minded journalists.   On CNN today, one journalist whose show is about the media actually said that the anchors that were themselves speaking their opinions were being the "leaders", and one of this fellow journalists "guests" went further to say that they were doing the work of God.    To me, that's just as dicey as "fake news".

For all its warts, the press of 2018 needs protection just as much as the press of 1971 did.  When our elected officials are unable or refuse to hold our leaders accountable, it is often the press that must fulfill this role.   Today's technology has created new and fundamentally impactful vehicles for direct communication to the masses, and these foundational institutions have not figured it out yet.    We must hope that they will, and more than that we must actively participate in the process by supporting responsible journalists as well as responsible leadership.

How do we actively participate?   We let our President know when his behavior is unacceptable (Tweet him!   Telegram!  VOTE!).    We do the same thing when the media's behavior is unacceptable (Tweet it!   Send email to them!   DON't WATCH).    We communicate with our elected officials.    The time for standing with our hands in our pockets has to end.

If you're noticed this "review" is a thinly disguised civics statement, I'm afraid you are right.

The Post is well worth seeing with great performances and a story worth revisiting.    I actually did not recognize Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee.   This is probably due to my eyesight, but I think he did a terrific job.    At the end of the movie, the entire audience gave an extended ovation - I think we were all touched by this timely and relevant lesson.

The performance of Bob Odenkirk can't be overlooked.   While a bit of a Jimmy transplant from Better Call Saul, it is gritty and real and very enjoyable.

My friends, it is a great time to recall those values that have made us special fo our 250+ years, and  for us to be Americans first.