New Pentagon Papers movie wins because the press fought for the people’s right to know
The movie The Post about the Pentagon Papers case in 1971 has been called a “love letter” to the press. But it could just as well be considered a love letter to the public’s right to know. The Pentagon Papers, which were classified documents leaked to the New York Times, exposed how five presidential administrations — from Harry Truman to Richard Nixon — had lied to the public and to Congress about the Vietnam war where 58,000 American lives were lost. Tom Hanks (center) plays the Washington Post's editor in The Post, a movie about the publication of classified information from the Pentagon Papers that ended up before the [...]