Exposing the shady government, safeguarding the freedom of the press, and defending the country's constitution, the entire film can be regarded as a high-standard answer to why you should be a journalist. The Watergate incident at the end of the film can be regarded as a highlight moment for the entire press. The involvement of the top management of the Post and the White House in the film, just like the constant and chaotic connection between news and politics, is a turbulent undercurrent lurking in heroic stories.
Revealing the truth is what people expect from journalism, and authenticity is indeed an unshakable principle of journalism. But the distance between the authenticity of the news and the facts of the objective world cannot be reached. To a large extent, the authenticity of news comes from reliable sources, and the most reliable source that a reporter can get is often the government. To hope that the integrity of journalism can stand up to a government that is lying is a myth.
But no matter how deep the undercurrent is, there will be splashes of water, not to mention the mutual penetration of journalism and politics. Ben mentions in the film that the Post's last legal agent was already the Secretary of State, and the flow of politics and the press is not uncommon in American politics. And the real monolithic secrets are fewer than many people think, and it just takes a little time to surface.
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