A picture taken on May 6, 1973 in Paris shows former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee, who oversaw reporting on the Watergate scandal that brought down U.S. President Richard Nixon. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Ben Bradlee is most famous for standing by his two reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, as they pursued the Watergate story that led to the resignation of President Nixon.

President Barack Obama awards Ben Bradlee with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP/Evan Vucci)

Bradlee did something else by his example at The Washington Post, he re-shaped newspapers across the country.

NPR’s David Folkenflik spoke to Here & Now hosts Robin Young and Jeremy Hobson about Bradlee’s impact.

“Major regional newspapers mimicked the format he devised for the Post, with a style section devoted to features involving politics, regional personalities, celebrity and popular culture and highbrow culture alike,” Folkenflik said.

“He also insisted on a high profile for beats on the subjects he vigorously and vulgarly called ‘SMERSH — science, medicine, education, religion and all that s***’ — the subjects from which Bradlee personally took little enjoyment.”

Guest

• David Folkenflik, media correspondent for NPR. He tweets @davidfolkenflik.