Katharine Graham: The Washington Post

Summary

When Katharine Graham took over the Washington Post in 1963, she was a shy socialite who’d never run anything. By retirement, she’d taken down a president, ended the most violent strike in a generation, and built one of the best-performing companies in American history. Graham had no training, no experience, not even confidence. Just a newspaper bleeding money and a government that expected her to fall in line. Public Release: July 29. Members have access now.Join us. Coming Soon: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Transcript When her editors brought her stolen classified documents, her lawyers begged her not to publish. They said it would destroy the company. She published them anyway. Nixon came after her, attacking her with the full force of the executive. Then Watergate. For nearly a year she was ridiculed and isolated while pursuing the story that would eventually bring down the president. Graham proved that you can grow into a job that initially seems impossible and no amount of training can substitute for having the right values and the courage to act on them. This episode is for informational purposes only and is full of practical lessons I learned reading her memoir, Personal History and watching Becoming Katharine Graham. 10 Lessons from Katharine Graham 1. The Velvet Hammer: Katharine never raised her voice. She never pounded tables. Never tried to out-masculine the men. She stayed soft-spoken while becoming as hard as steel. Nixon’s administration learned too late: the quiet ones hit hardest. Competence whispers, it doesn’t shout. 2. Values Beat Analysis: The Pentagon Papers decision arrived during Katharine’s Georgetown dinner party. The Washington Post had just gone public two days earlier. Everything was at stake. Publishing classified documents meant likely criminal charges, losing television licenses, and destroying the IPO. Her lawyers said it was financial suicide. Her editors said not publishing was journalistic suicide. She remembered her father’s princ...