本·布萊德利：水門事件報道的幕后英雄

他被世人稱為最“危險”的總編輯，為了查明水門事件的真相，他與白宮對簿公堂，逼尼克松引咎辭職；他是老板最信任的決策者，總能在對的時間作出對的決定，為報紙注入活力與熱情；他被并肩戰斗的編輯、記者視為真正的朋友與天才領袖，因為他不僅慧眼識才，而且勇于擔當，在政府強壓下永遠是記者的擋箭牌。他說自己是“幸運兒”，然而世人都知道，成就他的是膽識、勤奮、對原則的堅持和對真相的不懈追求。他就是在20世紀書寫了美國報業傳奇的《華盛頓郵報》前主編本·布萊德利。

Ben Bradlee， who presided over The Washington Post’s Watergate reporting that led to the fall of President Richard M. Nixon and that stamped him in American culture as the quintessential1） newspaper editor of his era—gruff2）， charming and tenacious3）—died on October 21， 2014 at his home in Washington. He was 93.

With full backing from his publisher， Katharine Graham， Mr. Bradlee led The Post into the first rank of American newspapers， courting4） controversy and giving it standing as a thorn in the side of Washington officials. When they called to complain， Mr. Bradlee acted as a buffer5） between them and his staff. “Just get it right，” he would tell his reporters.

Mr. Bradlee—“this last of the lion-king newspaper editors，” as Phil Bronstein， a former editor of The San Francisco Chronicle， described him—could be classy or profane6）， an energetic figure with a boxer’s nose7） who almost invariably dressed in a white-collared， bold-striped Turnbull Asser shirt， the sleeves rolled up.

When not prowling8） the newsroom like a restless coach， encouraging his handpicked reporters and editors， he sat behind a glass office wall that afforded him a view of them and them a view of him. “We would follow this man over any hill， into any battle， no matter what lay ahead，” his successor， Leonard Downie Jr.， once said.

His rise at The Post was swift. A former Newsweek reporter， Mr. Bradlee rejoined the paper as deputy managing editor in 1965 （he worked there for a few years as a reporter early in his career）. Within three months he was named managing editor， the second in command； within three years he was executive editor.

Cementing a Reputation

The Post as he had found it was a sleepy competitor to The Evening Star and The Washington Daily News， and he began invigorating it. He transformed the “women’s” section into Style， a brash9） and gossipy overview of Washington mores10）. He started building up the staff， determined “that a Washington Post reporter would be the best in town on every beat11），” as he wrote in a 1995 memoir， A Good Life： Newspapering and Other Adventures. He added， “We had a long way to go.”

How long became painfully clear to him in June 1971， when The Post was scooped12） by The New York Times on the Pentagon Papers13）， a secret government history of United States involvement in Vietnam. After The Times printed excerpts for three days， a federal court enjoined14） it from publishing any more， arguing that publication would irreparably harm the nation. The Post， meanwhile， had obtained its own copy of the papers and prepared to publish.

But The Post was on the verge of a $35 million stock offering， and publishing could have scuttled15） the deal. At the same time， Mr. Bradlee was under pressure from reporters threatening to quit if he caved in16）. It was up to Mrs. Graham to choose. She decided to publish.

The government tried to stop The Post from publishing， as it had The Times， but the Supreme Court ruled in favor of both papers. More than anything else， Mr. Bradlee recalled， the publication of the Pentagon Papers “forged forever between the Grahams and the newsroom a sense of confidence within The Post， a sense of mission.”

Watergate consolidated The Post’s reputation as a crusading newspaper. A break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex on June 17， 1972—the White House soon characterized it as a “third-rate burglary17）”—caught the attention of two young reporters on the metropolitan staff， Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. Soon they were working the phones， wearing out shoe leather18） and putting two and two together19）.

With the help of others on the staff and the support of Mr. Bradlee and his editors—and Mrs. Graham—they uncovered a political scandal involving secret funds， espionage20）， sabotage21）， dirty tricks and illegal wiretapping. Along the way they withstood repeated denials by the White House， threats from the attorney general （who ended up in prison） and the uncomfortable feeling of being alone on the story of the century.

When the trail of crimes and shenanigans22） led directly to the White House， Nixon was forced to resign in August 1974. The tapes that he himself had made of conversations in the Oval Office confirmed what The Post had been reporting. Mrs. Graham wrote to Mr. Bradlee in her Christmas letter that year， “We were only saved from extinction by someone mad enough not only to tape himself but to tape himself talking about how to conceal it.”

Mr. Bradlee’s Post and Woodward and Bernstein， as the two became known， captured the popular imagination. Their exploits23） seemed straight out of a Hollywood movie： two young reporters boldly taking on24） the White House in pursuit of the truth， their spines steeled by a courageous editor.

After Watergate， journalism schools filled up with would-be Woodwards and Bernsteins， and the business of journalism changed， taking on an even tougher hide of skepticism than the one that formed during the Vietnam War. “No matter how many spin doctors25） were provided by no matter how many sides of how many arguments，” Mr. Bradlee wrote， “from Watergate on， I started looking for the truth after hearing the official version of a truth.” The Post’s Watergate coverage won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for public service. It was one of 18 Pulitzers The Post received during Mr. Bradlee’s tenure.

His Early Life

Benjamin Crowninshield Bradlee was born in Boston on Aug. 26， 1921， the second son of Frederick Josiah Bradlee Jr. and Josephine de Gersdorff Bradlee. In a family that moved from 211 Beacon Street to 295 Beacon Street to 267 Beacon Street and finally to 280 Beacon Street， his boyhood， as he wrote， was “not adventuresome.”

With his brother， Freddy， and a sister， Constance， he learned French， took piano lessons and went to the symphony and the opera. He was at St. Mark’s School when he was stricken with polio26） during an epidemic. But his self-confidence was undiminished： He exercised rigorously at home， and when he returned to school the next fall he had noticeably strong arms and chest and could walk without limping.

Continuing a family tradition that dated to 1795， he attended Harvard， where he joined the Naval R.O.T.C.27） As a sophomore he was one of 268 young Harvard men， including John F. Kennedy， chosen， as “well adjusted，” to participate in the now celebrated Grant longitudinal study28）， which tracked their lives over the years.

On Aug. 8， 1942， Mr. Bradlee graduated as a Greek-English major， was commissioned an ensign29） and married Jean Saltonstall—all in all， a busy day. A month later， Mr. Bradlee shipped out to the Pacific on the destroyer30） Philip and saw combat for two years. During the last year of World War II he helped other destroyers run shipboard information centers. After the war， Mr. Bradlee and a group of friends started The New Hampshire Sunday News， a weekly. For a time he thought “very， very， very seriously” about entering politics， he said in 1960. When the paper was sold， he snagged31） his first job at The Washington Post， in 1948.

In 1951 he was offered the job of press attaché32） at the American embassy in Paris and left for France with his wife and his young son， Benjamin Jr. From the government job he moved on to Newsweek in 1954， as European correspondent based in Paris.

His work was thriving， but his marriage was falling apart and finally disintegrated when he met Antoinette Pinchot Pittman， known as Tony. They were married in 1957. A year later， Mr. Bradlee took up his post as the low man in Newsweek’s Washington bureau.

A Lucrative33） Idea

Concerned about rumors that Newsweek was going to be sold， Mr. Bradlee， in a moment of brashness， decided late one night to call Philip Graham， the publisher of The Washington Post， with an urgent message： Buy Newsweek. It was the best telephone call I ever made—the luckiest， most productive， most exciting，” he later wrote.

Mr. Graham saw Mr. Bradlee that night， and they talked until dawn. On March 9， 1961， The Post acquired Newsweek， and Mr. Bradlee， soon to become the magazine’s Washington bureau chief， was rewarded with enough Post stock， as a finder’s fee， to live as a wealthy man.

Mr. Bradlee remained with the paper for 26 years， stepping down in 1991 at age 70. Named vice president at large， he had an office at The Post and became what he called “a stop on the tour” for new reporters. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom， the country’s highest civilian honor， at a White House ceremony in 2013.

In his memoir Mr. Bradlee confessed to having no overarching34） prescriptions for the practice of journalism. He wrote that he knew of nothing more sophisticated than the motto of one of his grade-school teachers： “Our best today； better tomorrow.”

“Put out the best， most honest newspaper you can today，” he said， “and put out a better one the next day.”

曾經主持《華盛頓郵報》水門事件報道工作的本·布萊德利于2014年10月21日在華盛頓的家中過世，享年93歲。當年的報道導致理查德·M·尼克松總統下臺，并使作風粗獷但富有魅力、堅韌不拔的布萊德利成了那個時代報紙編輯的典范，在美國文化中留下了濃重的一筆。

在出版人凱瑟琳·格雷厄姆的全力支持下，布萊德利帶領《華盛頓郵報》躋身美國的一流報紙之列，該報不斷引發人們的爭論，并成為華盛頓官員們的肉中刺。當他們打來投訴電話時，布萊德利便充當起自己屬下的擋箭牌。“只管做好自己的工作。”他這樣對記者們說。

“最后一位具有獅王氣質的報紙編輯”—曾擔任《舊金山紀事報》編輯的菲爾·布朗斯坦這樣形容布萊德利。布萊德利既可高雅，也可鄙俗。他精力充沛，鼻子有點塌，幾乎永遠穿一件白領寬條紋的特恩布爾阿瑟牌襯衣，襯衣袖子總是卷起來。

他會像一名焦躁不安的教練一樣在新聞編輯室里四處走動，為他精心挑選的記者和編輯們鼓勁。不走動時，他就坐在辦公室的玻璃墻后，從那里他可以看到大家，大家也能看到他。“我們愿意追隨這個人翻越任何一座山，投入任何一場戰役，無論前方等待我們的是什么。”他的繼任者小萊納德·唐尼曾經這樣說。

布萊德利在《華盛頓郵報》升遷迅速。曾在《新聞周刊》做過記者的布萊德利于1965年再度加盟《華盛頓郵報》，擔任執行副總編（在他的職業生涯早期，他曾在這家報社當過幾年記者）。不到三個月，他就被任命為執行總編，成了報社的第二把手；不到三年，他就當上了總編輯。

鞏固聲譽

布萊德利發現，《華盛頓郵報》在同《晚星報》和《華盛頓每日新聞》的競爭中表現疲軟，于是他開始著手讓它煥發生機。他將“女性”版塊改造成“時尚”版塊，有聲有色地閑聊華盛頓風俗民情的概況。他開始建設編輯記者隊伍，就像他在1995年出版的回憶錄《最“危險”的總編輯》中寫的那樣，他決意讓“《華盛頓郵報》的記者在搶任何頭條新聞時都成為城里最出色的記者”。他又寫道：“我們還有很長的路要走。”

這條路到底有多長？布萊德利痛苦地認識到這一點是在1971年6月，當時《紐約時報》比《華盛頓郵報》搶先一步報道了五角大樓文件。該文件記錄了美國政府介入越南事務的隱秘歷史。在《紐約時報》連續三天登載文件的摘錄后，一家聯邦法院禁止該報繼續刊登文件內容，理由是公布這些文件會對國家造成無法補救的危害。與此同時，《華盛頓郵報》也拿到了這份文件的副本，正準備刊登。

但這時，《華盛頓郵報》正要發行3500萬美元的股票，刊登這些文件可能會搞砸這筆交易。與此同時，報社的記者們也在向布萊德利施壓，說如果他屈服，他們就辭職。決定權最后落到格雷厄姆夫人手中。她決定讓文件見報。

政府試圖像之前阻止《紐約時報》一樣阻止《華盛頓郵報》刊登此文件，但最高法院裁決兩家報紙勝訴。布萊德利回憶道，最為重要的是，由于五角大樓文件的刊登，“在《華盛頓郵報》內部，格雷厄姆家族和編輯部間建立起一種永久的信任感，一種使命感”。

《華盛頓郵報》是一家致力于革新除弊的報紙，水門事件使它的這一聲譽得以鞏固。1972年6月17日，水門大廈民主黨全國委員會總部發生了一起非法闖入事件，白宮很快將之定性為一次“三級入室盜竊案”。這一案件引起了兩位年輕的地方新聞記者卡爾·伯恩斯坦和鮑勃·伍德沃德的注意。很快，他們就開始四處電話打探，磨破鞋底各處奔走，并根據獲得的情報推演出結論。

在報社其他同事的幫助和布萊德利、其編輯們以及格雷厄姆夫人的支持下，他們揭露了一起涉及秘密資金、間諜活動、蓄意破壞、骯臟的政治伎倆和非法竊聽的政治丑聞。在整個過程中，他們經歷了白宮的一再否認，頂住了司法部長（此人最終入獄）的威脅，承受了獨家報道20世紀這一重磅新聞時如坐針氈的感覺。

一連串的犯罪與欺詐行為都直接指向白宮，尼克松被迫于1974年8月辭職。他自己錄制的總統辦公室里的對話錄音帶證實了《華盛頓郵報》的報道。格雷厄姆夫人在那一年圣誕節寫給布萊德利的信中說道：“由于某人愚蠢行事，不僅錄下了自己說的話，而且錄下了自己談論如何隱瞞此事的話，我們才得以逃脫滅頂之災。”

布萊德利執掌的《華盛頓郵報》以及因報道此事而為人所知的伍德沃德和伯恩斯坦引發了公眾的想象。他們的英勇行為簡直就像是一部好萊塢電影：兩名年輕的記者為了追尋真相，勇敢地與白宮展開較量，背后為他們撐腰的是一位英勇無畏的總編輯。

水門事件后，各所大學的新聞學院里擠滿了以伍德沃德和伯恩斯坦為奮斗目標的學生，新聞報道也發生了改變，在越戰期間形成的懷疑氛圍此時變得更加濃厚。“無論有多少場爭論，參與爭論的有多少方，無論他們各自請來多少媒體顧問出面，”布萊德利寫道，“自水門事件之后，我在聽完官方版本的真相后就開始著手尋求真正的真相。”《華盛頓郵報》的水門事件報道贏得了1973年度普利策公共服務獎，這是布萊德利任期內《華盛頓郵報》獲得的18次普利策獎中的一次。

早年生活

本杰明·克勞寧希爾德·布萊德利1921年8月26日出生于波士頓，是小弗雷德里克·喬賽亞·布萊德利和約瑟芬·德格斯多夫·布萊德利的第二個兒子。他的家曾從燈塔街211號先后搬到燈塔街295號和267號，最后又搬到燈塔街280號。在這樣的家庭中長大，他的童年正如他寫的那樣，“一點也不刺激”。

他與哥哥弗雷迪和妹妹康斯坦斯一起學習法語，上鋼琴課，聽交響樂，看歌劇。在圣馬克學校讀書時，他在一次脊髓灰質炎疫情流行期間不幸染病。但他的自信絲毫未減：他在家刻苦鍛煉，待第二年秋季回到學校時，他的手臂和胸膛明顯變得強壯了，走路也不瘸了。

他延續了始于1795年的家族傳統，進入哈佛大學讀書。在校期間，他加入了海軍預備軍官訓練團。大二時，包括他和約翰·F·肯尼迪在內的268名年輕的哈佛男生由于“良好的適應能力”而獲選參與如今非常著名的格蘭特跟蹤研究，這項研究在此后很長的歲月中一直跟蹤記錄他們的人生軌跡。

1942年8月8日，布萊德利從希臘語-英語專業畢業，被授予海軍少尉軍銜，并與珍·索頓斯托爾成婚—總而言之，那是忙碌的一天。一個月后，布萊德利乘“菲利普號”驅逐艦前往太平洋，經歷了兩年的戰斗。在二戰的最后一年，他協助其他驅逐艦上的官兵辦起了艦上信息中心。戰后，布萊德利和一群朋友共同創辦了周報《新罕布什爾周日新聞》。他在1960年表示，曾經有一段時間，他“非常、非常認真地”考慮過投身政治。在周報被出售后，他于1948年在《華盛頓郵報》拿到了他的第一份工作。

1951年，他獲得了美國駐巴黎大使館新聞專員的工作，偕妻子和幼子小本杰明赴法國就任。1954年，他結束了這份政府工作，轉投《新聞周刊》麾下，擔任駐巴黎的歐洲通訊員。

他的事業蒸蒸日上，婚姻卻開始出現裂痕。當他與昵稱為“托尼”的安托瓦內特·平肖·皮特曼相遇后，他的婚姻最終解體了。他和皮特曼于1957年結婚。一年后，布萊德利進入《新聞周刊》華盛頓分社擔任低級職員。

職場關鍵點

布萊德利對《新聞周刊》即將出售的傳言甚為關注，一天深夜，憑著一時的沖動，他決定給《華盛頓郵報》的出版人菲利普·格雷厄姆打電話，傳遞一條緊急消息：買下《新聞周刊》。“那是我打過的最有價值的一個電話—最幸運，最富有成效，最令人興奮。”他后來這樣寫道。

格雷厄姆先生當晚就與布萊德利見了面，他們一直談到天亮。1961年3月9日，《華盛頓郵報》買下了《新聞周刊》。布萊德利因此獲得了《華盛頓郵報》的部分股份作為中間人傭金，數量足夠使他過上富裕的生活。不久后，他出任《新聞周刊》華盛頓分社社長。

布萊德利在《華盛頓郵報》任職26年，直到1991年70歲的時候方才卸任。他被任命為名譽副總裁，在報社有一間自己的辦公室，并且成了他所說的新入職的記者“參觀路線上的一站”。2013年，在白宮舉行的一次儀式上，他被授予了總統自由勛章，這是美國授予平民的最高榮譽。

在回憶錄中，布萊德利承認，他對從事新聞行業沒有什么萬用靈方。他寫道，他所知道的最深奧的道理就是他的一位小學老師的座右銘：“今天做到最好，明天做到更好。”

“今天盡你所能出版最好、最誠實的報紙，”他說，“明天出版更好的報紙。”

1.quintessential [?kw?nt??sen?（?）l] adj. 精髓的；本質的；典型的

2.gruff [ɡr?f] adj. 生硬的；脾氣壞的

3.tenacious [t??ne???s] adj. 頑強的；頑固的

4.court [k??（r）t] vt. 招致

5.buffer [?b?f?（r）] n. 起緩沖作用的人（或物）

6.profane [pr??fe?n] adj. 鄙俗的

7.a boxer’s nose：鞍鼻，塌鼻梁

8.prowl [pra?l] vt. 巡行；閑逛

9.brash [br??] adj. 花哨的，醒目的；俗氣的

10.mores [?m??re?z] n. 風俗，習慣

11.beat [bi?t] n. 搶先報道的新聞

12.scoop [sku?p] vt. （報紙、電臺等）搶在（別家）之前報道新聞；搶先獲得（新聞）

13.Pentagon Papers：五角大樓文件，即《美國-越南關系，1945～1967：國防部的研究》，美國國防部對1945～1967年間美國介入越南政治事務、卷入越南戰爭進行評估的秘密報告。

14.enjoin [?n?d???n] vt. 阻止；禁止

15.scuttle [?sk?t（?）l] vt. 破壞，阻撓（尤用于新聞報道）

16.cave in：（尤指在壓力下）讓步，屈服

17.burglary [?b??（r）ɡl?ri] n. 盜竊行為

18.wear out shoe leather：為某事跑斷了腿

19.put two and two together：根據所聞所見進行推斷

20.espionage [?espi?nɑ??] n. 間諜行為，諜報活動

21.sabotage [?s?b?tɑ??] n. （心懷不滿的職工、敵特等的）陰謀破壞，蓄意破壞

22.shenanigans [???n?n?ɡ?nz] n. [復]鬼把戲，詭計；欺騙行為

23.exploit [?k?spl??t] n. 英勇行為

24.take on （sb.）：與（某人）較量

25.spin doctor：（善于公關、為政黨出謀劃策的）媒體顧問，輿論導向專家

26.polio [?p??li??] n. 脊髓灰質炎，小兒麻痹癥

27.Naval R.O.T.C.：全稱為“The Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps”，指海軍預備軍官訓練團計劃。

28.Grant longitudinal study：格蘭特跟蹤研究，是哈佛醫學院的成人發展研究的一部分，其對1939～1942年哈佛大學的268名身心健康的男子進行了長達75年的跟蹤調查，堪稱歷史上持續時間最長、最全面的社會科學實驗之一。

29.ensign [?ensa?n] n. [美]海軍少尉

30.destroyer [d??str???（r）] n. 驅逐艦

31.snag [sn?ɡ] vt.〈美〉抓住（機會等）

32.attaché [??t??e?] n. （使館、公使館的）隨員

33.lucrative [?lu?kr?t?v] adj. 賺錢的，利潤豐厚的

34.overarching [???v?r?ɑ?（r）t???] adj. 包羅萬象的；支配一切的