Gruff and light-hearted, Bradlee
captivates Elon campus
Natasha Nader / News Editor
Ben Bradlee's lecture titled "Lying and Other
Challenges" did not focus much on lying, or on other
challenges; nor did it focus on Bradlee himself.
But as Bradlee addressed the sold-out audience of students,
dignitaries and community members Monday night in McCrary
Theatre, no one seemed to mind. Being in the presence of one
of the most significant figures in 20th century American
journalism seemed to compensate for the lack of focus in his
speech, and also elicited laughter throughout.
Bradlee arrived on campus Monday as the Isabella Cannon
Distinguished Visiting Professor of Leadership. During
several appearances, he spoke about his journalism career,
former presidents and leadership in politics. The gruff
legendary editor peppered his speeches with chronology, humor
and anecdotes as he shared his thoughts and experiences on
various topics.
Bradlee, 84, is the vice president at large of The
Washington Post.
While he was executive editor of The Post from 1968 -1991,
the newspaper was awarded 18 Pulitzer Prizes. He successfully
challenged the federal government over the right to publish
the Pentagon Papers and supervised Post reporters Bob
Woodward and Carl Bernstein as they uncovered the Watergate
scandal during the Nixon presidency.
After the scandal, Bradlee told the audience he tried to get
a comment from Nixon for his autobiography, "A Good
Life: Newspapering and Other Adventures," but Nixon
refused.
"I don't have any hard feelings for Nixon,"
Bradlee said. "He put me on the map, why should I?"
While being in the spotlight is not something unfamiliar to
Bradlee, it seemed to cause a minor problem for him as he
tried to read his notes, setting the mood at the beginning of
his speech. "I can't see a goddamn thing," he
said. And after stumbling over his words a few
times: "I haven't even had a drink for God's
sake. Anyway, let me get serious for a minute."
With his customary irreverence and tendency to curse,
Bradlee spoke to the crowd in a casual and conversational
tone. This surprised some people, including Kayla Gerken,
freshman Leadership Fellow. "I was prepared for him to
be a really assertive, unpleasant person, but he wasn't
that at all," she said.
Gerken also had the opportunity to hear Bradlee speak at the
question and answer session and Isabella Cannon Leadership
Program reception earlier in the day. At the reception, which
only included about 20 students, Gerken said it was personal
and a more intimate version of the question and answer
session. "It felt like we were having story time with a
really prestigious grandpa," she said.
Assistant Professor of Communications Michael Skube said
that students were incredibly lucky to have the opportunity
to hear the speakers the university has brought in the last
few years, including Bradlee, and he said he can only hope
that students appreciate that.
"When he walked on that stage I wanted to stand up and
salute," Skube said. "He was the kind of editor for
whom reporters would march to battle.
"Students got a chance to hear and see someone who has
lived a fuller life than most will know; someone for whom
newspapering was the most exciting life it could be."
Bradlee said he still cannot believe how lucky The Post was
to discover and publish the Watergate scandal. And luck is
something that Bradlee said can be beneficial to a
journalist. "A great journalist is probably a lucky good
journalist," he said. He added that a "great"
journalist is given fabulous opportunities and has to work
for a good paper that is just as concerned with making a good
product as it is with making zillions of dollars.
Bradlee shared his thoughts on the motives of presidents in
general, which he thinks are decent, but the most important
quality he believes they should possess is the ability to
judge people. Their staff and the people who are helping them
are very important, he said.
When comparing the Nixon administration to the current Bush
administration, Bradlee said: "Nixon had some good
people in the White House; George W. Bush doesn't aspire
as high as Nixon did. I don't see where this guy's
going."
While he said he doesn't know Bush very well, he said he
thinks he has "a lot of troubles."
In regard to the lies, challenges and secrets that can occur
in the White House, Bradlee said, "What's meant to
come out will come out."
Contact Natasha Nader at pendulum@elon.edu or
278-7247.
| 
Natasha Nader / Photographer