Follow the money.
That's the famous and often-cited phrase from the classic movie All The President's Men, which arrived in movie theatres 40 years ago.
The film starred Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the two Washington Post reporters trying to get to the bottom of a mysterious burglary at the Democratic National Committee head office in the Watergate buildings. Woodward and Bernstein had no idea at the time that they were embarking on an investigation that would eventually force President Richard Nixon to resign in disgrace and make them household names.
Woodward and Bernstein's work, with the backing of their executive editor Ben Bradlee and Post publisher Patrician Graham, is the stuff of journalism legend. It established the Post, long considered a parochial family-owned rag with little bite, as a major American newspaper.
The Post continues to be one of the finest English-language dailies in the world to this day. Although the Grahams finally sold the newspaper in 2013, it was bought by Jeff Bozos, the founder of Amazon.com and one of the world's wealthiest men. He has plowed money into the Post, recognizing that while the business model for newspapers is under threat, the demand for quality journalism is greater than ever.
The Citizen began subscribing to the Washington Post News Service earlier this year, as alert readers of the print edition have noticed. We've been pleased to run some of the long features from the Post, such as the fantastic piece that carried over three pages in Thursday's Citizen about the migrants walking 7,000 miles, from Brazil to the American border, in search of a better life. Rather than just sharing the headlines of stories well-covered the day before by other news outlets, the Post provides what curious local readers want: a well-written, detailed read that explains not just what's happening but why and how.
Recently, The Citizen began publishing stories from The Post onto our website. There is a Washington Post link in the blue menu bar on our home page, linking you to some excellent Post stories on politics, entertainment, health, technology and opinion, handpicked by Citizen reporters and editors.
Today's slate of Post stories on our website shows the breadth and depth of their reporting.
There is an essay about how Ivanka Trump, Donald's oldest daughter, could actually end up serving as First Lady, since Donald's current wife Melania prefers to stay in the background and has said she's not moving from New York to Washington with their son for the time being. There are several historical precedents of other female relatives of a sitting president serving in the role.
There is a long examination about Apple's $14-billion tax bill with the European Union and the implications for American multinationals trying to set their own rules abroad. There is also a piece about the political commentary running through the Star Wars movies.
The Washington Post's online content lives behind a partial pay wall. After 10 free reads a month, the Post closes the door and asks readers to buy a subscription to help pay for their journalism. The Citizen is pleased to offer Post stories in our print edition, as well as online, as a value-added benefit to turning to us as a source for news, what's local but also what's beyond city borders.
As for following the money, that's a phrase that serves journalists well to this day, from Washington to Prince George.
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