I was a journalism major, and for many years Katharine Graham would have been on my “who would you most like to have dinner with” list. I was delighted to see her new stamp in the Distinguished Americans series, honoring her work as publisher of the Washington Post from 1963 to 1991. It’s appropriate timing, given The Post‘s role in Watergate 50 years ago this week, and the courage of Graham in particular.
Mrs. Graham was reluctantly thrust into a leadership role when her husband — who had been given ownership of the paper by Graham’s father — committed suicide. She battled the imposter syndrome as well as overt challenges to her authority, but increasingly acted on her convictions. She published The Pentagon Papers when the New York Times was under a court order to suspend publication and supported Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in their pursuit of the Watergate story, even when other papers discounted it. She made gutsy decisions that would have been hard for anyone to make, even if not burdened with the expectations that came with being the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
Graham often thought she was not fit for the publisher role. She may have felt out of place, but I, like many others in retrospect, felt she was in exactly the right seat. Her tenacity, guts, and values were precisely what was needed in the crucial time during which she presided.
Graham did not choose a leadership role, but she led.
If you find yourself having the occasion to lead — whether by choice or circumstances — I hope you use Katharine Graham as a role model. Do what is right, even if it is hard.
