Ben Bradlee (1921-2014) Tribute List

Ben Bradlee died on Oct. 21, 2014 at the age of 93. Bradlee was the editor of the Washington Post, one of the nation's premier newspapers, at a time when everyone got their news from the newspaper. Bradlee presided over one of the most important stories in the history of the country: Woodward and Bernstein's coverage of the Watergate break-in and scandal, which led to President Nixon's resignation. A staunch defender of the rights of journalists who himself was quite quotable and humorous, Bradlee is the source of these ten quotes about life, liberty, politics, and, of course, newspapers.
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words only definitions & notes
  1. clout
    special advantage or influence
    The history of American politics is littered with bodies of people who took so pure a position that they had no clout at all.
    - Quoted in "Talking to Myself" by Studs Terkel
  2. gloat
    dwell on with satisfaction
    If I could give you a piece of advice, one which I did not follow after [a long lawsuit] but which I wish I had followed, it is simply this: Don’t gloat; understand this key thought of Albert Camus—“There is no truth, only truths”; and get on with it.- From a letter to George Crile, February 22, 1985
  3. convene
    call together
    There really isn’t enough time in the day to convene a task force on every little decision. If you’re publishing 140,000 words five times a day you’ve got to decide. And you’ve got to get it off the table and get on to the next one before you go crazy. You’ll never go home and you won’t be in any shape when you get home.- From a Speech given April 30, 1990
  4. spiel
    artful or slick talk used to persuade
    The real spiel I have for you is to have a good time while you are in your jobs. Have a good time. The newspaper will be great if you’re having a good time.
    -Speech at Columbia Journalism School Graduation, May 2007
  5. spar
    fight verbally
    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.
  6. cater
    give what is desired or needed
    I do worry about how newspapers respond to falling circulation figures. I'm not sure that the answer is for newspapers to try to cater to whatever seems to be the fad of the day.
    - From chat with washingtonpost.com, June 2, 2005
  7. incalculable
    not capable of being computed or enumerated
    I didn't need Jason Robards[who played him in the film All the President's Men] to tell me that if we were wrong the damage to the paper would be incalculable.
    - From chat with washingtonpost.com, June 2, 2005
  8. precise
    sharply exact or accurate or delimited
    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
  9. momentum
    an impelling force or strength
    They cut about seven minutes from that broadcast, but it was still vital to the story's momentum.
  10. contempt
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
    Deep down, I used to think that writers have a natural contempt for editors, as unnatural obstacles between them and the readers. Well...I was wrong- From " A Good Life" his memoir.
Created on Mon Sep 29 14:58:27 EDT 2014 (updated Tue Oct 21 21:09:28 EDT 2014)

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