Plot Summary

Set in the early 1970s, The Post follows the tense and historic moment when investigative journalists at The Washington Post obtain highly classified documents revealing more than 25 years of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. These documents, known as the Pentagon Papers, expose systematic government deception at the highest levels and place the newspaper at the center of a national crisis.

The responsibility for publishing the explosive material falls on the shoulders of publisher Katherine Graham (Meryl Streep) and executive editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks). As the government moves swiftly to suppress the story, Graham and Bradlee must decide whether to protect the future of the newspaper or risk everything in defense of press freedom and the public’s right to know.

By choosing to publish the documents, The Washington Post ignites a political and legal firestorm, challenging the authority of the American government and setting a landmark precedent for freedom of the press. The film powerfully depicts the personal, professional, and moral dilemmas behind one of the most important journalistic decisions in U.S. history.

The Post centers on the real-life Pentagon Papers scandal of 1971, a defining moment that reshaped the relationship between the press and political power in the United States.