The Pentagon Papers
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JEA.ORG PUBLICATIONS EDITOR Bradley Wilson, MJE, Ph.D. [email protected] ASSISTANT EDITOR Howard Spanogle COPY EDITOR Connie Fulkerson ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Pam Boller W: 785-532-5532 Fax: 785-532-5563 [email protected] SEND CHANGES OF ADDRESS TO: Journalism Education Association 105 Kedzie Hall 828 Mid-Campus Drive S Manhattan, KS 66506-1500 Meryl Streep has been nominated for the Academy Award 21 times and has won it three times. She was born Mary Louise Streep to Mary Wolf (Wilkinson), a commercial artist, and Harry William Streep, a pharmaceutical executive. At Bernards High School in Bernardsville, New Jersey, she was a cheerleader and homecoming queen. Streep’s early ambitions leaned toward the opera. She became interested in acting while attending Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Upon graduation, she enrolled in the Yale School of Drama. Her first film role was in 1977 as Julia, based on a character in a Lillian Hellman book, Pentomento. The next year she was nominated for her first Oscar for “The Deer Hunter.” She went on to win the Academy Award for “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979) and “Sophie’s Choice” (1982). During the next decade, Streep turned out a string of acclaimed performances that included appearances in “Silkwood” (1983), “Out of Africa” (1985) and “A Cry in the Dark” (1988). In the mid-1990s, she shot back to the top in 1995 with her performance as Clint Eastwood’s married lover in “The Bridges of Madison County” (1995). In 1998, she ventured into producing as the executive producer for “First Do No Harm” (1997). She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role and for the Golden Globe’s Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama for “The Post.” MORE INFORMATION: filmreference.com and imdb.com. PLOT SYNOPSIS The Post As the movie opens, in 1966 Vietnam, State rience and is overruled by more assertive men Department military analyst Daniel Ellsberg who advise or work for her, such as Editor Ben MORE MOVIES accompanies U.S. troops in combat. The scene Bradlee and board member Arthur Parsons. 2007 documents the progress of U.S. military activi- It was a different time for women. In one CLASSROOM ties in the region for Secretary of Defense Robert poignant dinner party scene, even as one of the DIRECTORSof the McNamara. On the flight home, McNamara most powerful people in the room, when the Turn into a film advocate-educator.SCREEN An academic entrepreneur. A giver of enlightenment. A donor of opportunities for insights. All by using visual media effectively. n the journalism classroom, films tious journalism teacher of younger stu- ties have obvious implications for con- and on-air tapes/DVDs are only as dents. It is inexcusable if multiple view- temporary media. Why should an active Igood as the teacher using them. As ings occur in classes under your leader- student newspaper have an online ver- expresses his view that the war in Vietnam is men declare that it is time to discuss politics, she for any publication or broadcast, prepara- ship. sion of the newspaper, one that can be tion unlocks the brain and the pathway to updated daily? What messages does that WHY YOU SHOW IT productive results. send about responsibility and about con- Every method needs a pedagogical First, teachers must make strategic temporary needs? purpose. While the temptation may be decisions. to think only of showing a film as a few HOW YOU SHOW IT WHEN YOU SHOW IT easy class days, that approach, when Not always the same way please. Pay attention to timing: during the repeated frequently, limits student learn- Cautions are easy to imagine. However, year, for curriculum emphasis, for mental ing and smothers teacher vitality. Plus, the problems are rather easy to avoid involvement, for publication schedules the approach is outdated, a word that with attentive effort. New possibilities are hopeless. Yet, upon landing, he tells the press excuses herself with the other women to gossip and for multi-year journalism students. is unwelcome in innovative journalism more stimulating to envision. In addition to scheduling films at environments. Plan. Preview. Create pertinent work- the appropriate time each year, films Definitely showing a tape of a TV news sheets and supplementary material. Avoid should be on a two- or three-year plan broadcast or a documentary or a short the time-filler syndrome. Instead, con- so that students enrolled in advanced news feature can help students connect nect to goals, themes, timely topics and journalism classes do not principles and performance. They will new approaches. experience repeats. Rather, learn about current problems and note- Showing the complete film may be the students should increase worthy actions. first option, but it may not be the best their knowledge For journalism instruction, however, choice. Consider other possibilities: using he has every confidence in the war effort. The about fluff pieces. and broaden they will also learn to consider essential a small segment of a film, developing their per- questions such as the following: How did computer/digital presentations, assigning spectives. the producers prepare for the interviews students to view and to critique a film as Nothing is and the visual enhancement of the broad- an out-of-class assignment and using film more dead- cast? What are the results? The slant? The circles, in which groups of four to six ening than an value? The follow-up? And that kind of students view different films together and exasperated inquiry inculcates incentives and meth- report to the class. Make the most of the student’s com- odology that they can use for their own many resources available. ment, “Oh, publications and broadcasts. Collaborate with other journalism we’ve seen that Beyond those questions are the impli- teachers to make new but legal decisions politics, the dishonesty and the false nature of In casting alone, Steven Spielberg makes clear before.” cations for the media that your students about how to use films to fit modern It is bad produce. How is media interacting? What classroom needs. Share your enthusiasm enough if the first are they doing to go beyond the tradition- so young journalists may discover the viewing occurred al electronic and the print perspectives? enjoyment of films featuring media roles. in eighth grade How are they responding to blogs and to Look for changes that bring impact under the guid- podcasts? to journalism instruction. See the full ance of an ambi- The observations and the opportuni- dimension of the media world. n BY HOWARD SPANOGLE the comments disillusion Ellsberg. his opinion of Graham, played by Meryl Streep, 18 • COMMUNICATION: JOURNALISM EDUCATION TODAY SPRING 2007 Years later, as a civilian military contractor and Bradlee, played by Tom Hanks, by filling FROM THE SPRING 2007 ISSUE OF working for the RAND Corp., Ellsberg surrepti- their shoes with two extremely successful actors. COMMUNICATION: tiously photocopies classified reports that docu- In an early scene, Bradlee, frustrated by the JOURNALISM ment the country’s decades-long involvement lead The Washington Post has repeatedly taken, EDUCATION TODAY in the conflict in Vietnam. The documents date refuses the White House’s demand to assign a Not all media- back to the Truman administration. Ellsberg different reporter to cover the wedding of the oriented movies are then leaks these documents — the so-called president’s daughter. In a moment that will appropriate for use in the journalism Pentagon Papers — to reporters at The New York resonate with journalists, he declares, “We can- classroom. But a few Times and other newspapers. not have an administration dictating to us our can accent lessons The movie follows two weeks in 1971 at coverage just because they don’t like what we being taught in the classroom. This The Washington Post and the publishing of the print about them in our newspaper.” In the section includes Pentagon Papers. end, Bradlee decided that if Nixon did not want numerous handouts, The lead character, newspaper heiress Judith Martin to cover his daughter’s wedding, quizzes and forms to supplement viewing Katharine “Kay” Graham tries to balance her The Post would send no one. of the movie. social life with her responsibility as owner and In a Jan. 22, 2018, article for Quartzy, Rosie publisher of The Washington Post, following Spinks wrote, “Arguably … it teed up Bradlee Featured movies: the deaths of her husband, Phil Graham, and and his team to continue this adversarial rela- “Absence of Malice” her father, Eugene Meyer. She is troubled over tionship and helped spur their battle to publish “Shattered Glass” preparations for the newspaper’s stock-market documents vital to the country’s understanding “Newsies” launch, a move important for strengthening the of the Vietnam War.” Martin later became famous “All the President’s Men” paper’s economic stability. Graham lacks expe- as the etiquette columnist “Miss Manners.” “The Paper” Directed by Steven Spielberg | Written by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer | Music by John Williams 4 | COMMUNICATION: JOURNALISM EDUCATION TODAY | a publication of the Journalism Education Association FALL 2018 Tom Hanks has been nominated for the Academy Award five times and has won it two times.