The central theme in The Post (2017) is the freedom of the press and governmental censorship. The reporters of The Washington Post obtain documents that contain classified governmental information relating to the Vietnam War. These documents, called "The Pentagon Papers" by many, are now available in full to the public through the national archives (remember, this is based on a true story). However, at the time, they were top secret and incredibly damaging to not only the Nixon administration but also to previous presidential administrations. Publication of these documents could be illegal and, in some cases, could constitute treason. The matter boils down to national security versus the freedom of the press. Press censorship has always been a problem during wartime, and many reporters were restricted from running stories in the past because the government felt they would give away information to the enemy or harm the war effort. In The Post, Katherine Graham publishes the controversial story anyway. She argued that the documents did not endanger any American soldiers but only revealed how the U.S. Government had been lying to its citizens. Graham and her staff felt they had an obligation to tell the public the truth. As Ben Bradlee (her editor) says in the film, "If we don't hold them accountable, who will?" In the end, The Washington Post wins the court battle and is proven right. The Post, as a movie, supports the idea of letting newspapers publish whatever they desire, free from governmental control. In this case, and most other cases, this is true; the freedom of the press is indeed incredibly important (it's in the Bill of Rights, after all). However, some things need to be kept secret in wartime. They explore this a little bit in the movie, but not to a great extent. All in all, however, The Post gives a very informative take on the matter.
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