David Josephs Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 (edited) Saw this on Consortium News and I asked Jim if I could post it here... https://consortiumnews.com/2015/03/10/ben-bradlees-not-such-a-good-life/ Ben Bradlee’s Not Such ‘A Good Life’ March 10, 2015 Special Report: Washington Post’s editor Ben Bradlee, whose memoir was entitled “A Good Life,” is remembered by many as a tough-talking, street-smart journalist. But that reputation was more image than truth as the real Bradlee was an Establishment insider who knew which secrets to keep, writes James DiEugenio. By James DiEugenio When Ben Bradlee died last Oct. 21 at age 93, his widow Sally Quinn and his protégé Bob Woodward dutifully made the media rounds. They both lavishly praised his long tenure as executive editor of the Washington Post, which was predictable, since it was Bradlee who first hired Quinn at the Post (before marrying her) and Bradlee was influential in hiring Woodward, who then received much support from Bradlee. The Post treated Bradlee’s death something like the passing of a former president, putting the story on the front page, above the fold, accompanied by a huge close-up picture of the man – despite the fact that Bradlee had stepped down from the editor’s position more than two decades prior and although the Post had passed from the Graham family, which had hired Bradlee as editor and made him rich, to Internet entrepreneur Jeff Bezos who bought the paper in 2013 Edited May 3, 2017 by David Josephs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon G. Tidd Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 David, Ben Bradlee was a person who a 1960s student such as I would have called part of the Establishment. At the time and today, I would not regard him as a servant of the truth. He was a servant of the society to which he belonged and to which he served. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Josephs Posted March 13, 2015 Author Share Posted March 13, 2015 David, Ben Bradlee was a person who a 1960s student such as I would have called part of the Establishment. At the time and today, I would not regard him as a servant of the truth. He was a servant of the society to which he belonged and to which he served. Operation Mockingbird Jon.... he was more than just a servant - kinda like an associate architect At the time I would venture to say that most people considered the press independent yet respectful of political decorum and necessity. With hindsight we know better. Cracking Watergate would not be seen as an "Establishment" move - right? It's quite the opposite... "defender of the people" "publisher of the truth behind the conspiracy" IMO the most difficult thing we have to do is think with a 1963 mind - I have a difficult time seeing how we can consistently do this... Most people still trusted the government - can't unbreak that egg Cheers DJ http://spartacus-educational.com/JFKmockingbird.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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