Washington Post Editor Ben Bradlee Dies At 93
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 20: U.S. President Barack Obama awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Ben Bradlee, former Executive Editor of the Washington Post, in the East Room at the White House on November 20, 2013 in Washington, DC. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. (credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — The hard-charging editor who guided The Washington Post through its coverage of the Watergate scandal, Ben Bradlee, has died. He was 93.
The Washington Post reports that Bradlee died at his home Tuesday of natural causes.
As managing editor first and later as executive editor, the raspy-voiced Bradlee engineered the transformation of the Post from a sleepy hometown paper into a great national one. He brought in a cast of talented journalists and set editorial standards that brought the paper new respect.
Bradlee got an early break as a journalist thanks to his friendship with one president, John F. Kennedy, and became famous for his role in toppling another, Richard Nixon, helping guide Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the Watergate scandal.
President Barack Obama released the following statement about Bradlee’s death: For Benjamin Bradlee, journalism was more than a profession – it was a public good vital to our democracy. A true newspaperman, he transformed the Washington Post into one of the country’s finest newspapers, and with him at the helm, a growing army of reporters published the Pentagon Papers, exposed Watergate, and told stories that needed to be told – stories that helped us understand our world and one another a little bit better. The standard he set – a standard for honest, objective, meticulous reporting – encouraged so many others to enter the profession. And that standard is why, last year, I was proud to honor Ben with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Today, we offer our thoughts and prayers to Ben’s family, and all who were fortunate to share in what truly was a good life.
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