The newspaper’s lawyers advised her not to publish the Pentagon Papers. Yet, she
decided to publish them. The following year, in 1972, the Washington Post had another
major success reporting on the Watergate scandal. Their stories proved that Nixon’s
involvement. The point here is that Graham supported the reporters and editors through
the long Watergate investigation. She allowed the Post to publish the stories even
though government officials threatened her and her company. Then, in 1977, she
showed her courageous leadership skill when dealing with the pressman’s strike in
1977. Originally, she wanted to avoid a strike, fearing that even a short shutdown would
allow the Star to overtake the Post’s leadership position. Nonetheless, she took some
steps to strengthen management’s position in the event of a strike. During this period,
she gained a new nickname, “the iron lady”
Third, she was very good at building social networks and recruiting capable journalists.
Katharine was well known for having dinner parties at her home in Washington D.C. She
invited the most important people in the city. In doing so, she developed close
relationships with American and world leaders. Many of the editors and reporters felt that
Katharine’s extensive ties to politicians and DC insiders were her most valuable editorial
contribution.
More importantly, she picked capable people and supported them. For
instance, she went a long way with Ben Bradlee.
Lastly, she showed her ability to run a newspaper company.
A newspaper has a different
organizational structure than most businesses.
In order to retain the public’s trust, a
newspaper must be perceived as an accurate and impartial purveyor of the news. At the
same time, the paper must appeal to advertisers in order to remain profitable. To
maintain credibility, a clear separation must exist between editorial content and business
concerns.
Despite the difficulties in maintaining the balance between making money
and reporting fairly, she showed journalistic excellence and profitability can go hand in
hand. But, she never interfered in the editorial part seriously. Her principle was “take off,
mind in.” She never made an effort to influence or change coverage before the paper
went to press. Reporters appreciated the fact that she never attempted to affect the
career trajectory of Post journalists, leaving all staffing decisions to Brandlee.
In sum, this case shows how expertise and power can be built up over time.
It showed
that Graham overcame the stereotypes affecting her and became the successful female
leader spurred on by her guts and courage. This case also presents how she effectively
made close relationship with diverse leaders, and how she influenced effectively her
power by hiring outside people into the organization.
[CR] “Power” by Rosabeth Moss Kanter in
Men and Women of the
Corporation
.
