Rube Goldberg
American cartoonist (1883-1970)
Ben Bradlee was a legendary American journalist who served as the executive editor of The Washington Post from 1965 to 1991. He was a key figure in the publication of the Pentagon Papers and the Watergate scandal, and he continued to be involved with the Post even after his retirement, advocating for education and the study of history.
Table of Contents
Occupation
Family Info
Siblings
Frederic Bradlee
Spouses
Children
Quinn Bradlee
Ben Bradlee Jr.
Marina Murdock
About the Ben Bradlee
Benjamin Crowninshield Bradleewas an American journalist who served as managing editor and later as executive editor of The Washington Post, from 1965 to 1991. He became a public figure when the Post joined The New York Times in publishing the Pentagon Papers and gave the go-ahead for the paper’s extensive coverage of the Watergate scandal in the 1970s. He was also criticized for editorial lapses when the Post had to return a Pulitzer Prize in 1981 after it discovered that its award-winning story was false.
After his retirement, Bradlee continued to be associated with the Post, holding the position of Vice President at-large until his death. In retirement, Bradlee was an advocate for education and the study of history, including his role as a trustee on the boards of several major educational, historical, and archaeological research institutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ben Bradlee was an American journalist who served as the managing editor and later executive editor of The Washington Post from 1965 to 1991. He was a key figure in the publication of the Pentagon Papers and the extensive coverage of the Watergate scandal.
Ben Bradlee was born on August 26, 1921.
Ben Bradlee served as the managing editor and later the executive editor of The Washington Post from 1965 to 1991.
Ben Bradlee was involved in the publication of the Pentagon Papers and the extensive coverage of the Watergate scandal while he was the executive editor of The Washington Post.
After his retirement, Ben Bradlee continued to be associated with The Washington Post, holding the position of Vice President at-large until his death. He was also an advocate for education and the study of history, serving as a trustee on the boards of several major educational, historical, and archaeological research institutions.
In 1981, the Post had to return a Pulitzer Prize after it discovered that one of its award-winning stories was false, which was seen as an editorial lapse under Ben Bradlee’s leadership.
Ben Bradlee passed away on October 21, 2014.
18 Quotes by Ben Bradlee
- 1.
The really tough thing would have been to decide to take Woodward and Bernstein off the story. They were carrying the coal for us – in that their stories were right.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 2.
Sure, some journalists use anonymous sources just because they’re lazy and I think editors ought to insist on more precise identification even if they remain anonymous.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 3.
It took us about a day and a half to find out what had gone wrong.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 4.
If an investigative reporter finds out that someone has been robbing the store, that may be “gotcha” journalism, but it’s also good journalism.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 5.
They cut about seven minutes from that broadcast, but it was still vital to the story’s momentum.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 6.
We were right about the slush fund. But Sloan did not testify about it to the Grand Jury.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 7.
Maybe some of today’s papers have too many ‘feel-good’ features, but there is a lot of good news out there.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 8.
I must be out of it, but I don’t know any good journalists who have excused Clinton’s problems.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 9.
I think he had a strange, passionate devotion to the truth and a horror at what he saw going on.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 10.
I give Cronkite a whole lot of credit.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 11.
The Nixon administration really put a lot of pressure on CBS not to run the second broadcast.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 12.
They certainly did. They tried to make her look like a “nut case” and they succeeded to some extent.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 13.
We made only one real mistake. And even then we were right.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 14.
There have been as many investigative reporters on this newspaper working on Clinton’s many problems as I can remember there were working on Watergate.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 15.
You never monkey with the truth.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 16.
The champagne was flowing like the Potomac in flood.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 17.
I never believed that Nixon could fully resurrect himself. And the proof of that was in the obits.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991
- 18.
The biggest difference between Kennedy and Nixon, as far as the press is concerned, is simply this: Jack Kennedy really liked newspaper people and he really enjoyed sparring with journalists.
Ben Bradleeexecutive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991