<P> Newspaper heiress Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep) tries to balance her social life with her responsibility as owner and publisher of The Washington Post, following the deaths of her husband, Phil Graham, and her father, Eugene Meyer . She is troubled over preparations for the newspaper's stock - market launch, a move she recognizes as important for strengthening the paper's economic stability . Graham lacks experience and is frequently overruled by more assertive men who advise or work for her, such as editor - in - chief Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), and board member Arthur Parsons (Bradley Whitford). Bradlee tries in vain to match The New York Times's ability to get scoops . Meanwhile, McNamara, Graham's longtime friend, confides in her that he is to be the subject of unflattering coverage by the Times . The story turns out to be an exposé of the government's long - running deception of the American public . However, the series is halted by a court injunction against further publication by the Times . </P> <P> Post assistant editor Ben Bagdikian (Bob Odenkirk) tracks down Ellsberg as the source for the leak, who provides Bagdikian with copies of the same material given to the Times . A hand - picked team of Post reporters sorts through the piles of papers, searching for the headline stories . The lawyers for the Post advise against publishing the material, lest the Nixon administration bring criminal charges against them . Graham talks to McNamara, Bradlee, and trusted Post chairman Fritz Beebe (Tracy Letts), agonizing over the decision of whether to publish . The situation is made even more complicated when the Post's lawyers discover that Bagdikian's source is the same as the Times's, possibly putting Graham in contempt of court . If charges are brought against the company, Graham could destroy the newspaper she sees as a family legacy . Alternately, if she were to win any legal challenge, the Post could instead establish itself as an important journalistic institution . She chooses to run the story . </P> <P> The White House retaliates, and in short order the Post and Times appear together before the Supreme Court to plead their First Amendment argument for the right to publish the material . Meanwhile, newspapers across the country pick up the story in solidarity with the Post and Times . The court rules 6--3 in the newspapers' favor, vindicating Graham's decision . Nixon demands that the Post should be barred from the White House . One year later, security guard Frank Wills discovers a break - in in progress at the Watergate complex after a guest at the Watergate hotel called complaining about people using flashlights . </P> <Ul> <Li> Meryl Streep as Katharine Graham </Li> <Li> Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee </Li> <Li> Sarah Paulson as Antoinette "Tony" Pinchot Bradlee </Li> <Li> Bob Odenkirk as Ben Bagdikian </Li> <Li> Tracy Letts as Fritz Beebe </Li> <Li> Bradley Whitford as Arthur Parsons </Li> <Li> Bruce Greenwood as Robert McNamara </Li> <Li> Matthew Rhys as Daniel Ellsberg </Li> <Li> Alison Brie as Lally Graham </Li> <Li> Carrie Coon as Meg Greenfield </Li> <Li> Jesse Plemons as Roger Clark </Li> <Li> David Cross as Howard Simons </Li> <Li> Michael Stuhlbarg as A.M. Rosenthal </Li> <Li> Zach Woods as Anthony Essaye </Li> <Li> Pat Healy as Philip L. Geyelin </Li> <Li> John Rue as Gene Patterson </Li> <Li> Rick Holmes as Murrey Marder </Li> <Li> Philip Casnoff as Chalmers Roberts </Li> <Li> Jessie Mueller as Judith Martin </Li> <Li> Stark Sands as Donald E. Graham </Li> <Li> Michael Cyril Creighton as Jake </Li> <Li> Brent Langdon as Paul Ignatius </Li> <Li> Gary Wilmes as Punch Sulzberger </Li> <Li> Christopher Innvar as James L. Greenfield </Li> <Li> James Riordan as Vice Admiral Joseph Francis Blouin </Li> <Li> Kelly AuCoin as Assistant Attorney General Maroney </Li> <Li> Cotter Smith as William Macomber </Li> <Li> Jennifer Dundas as Liz Hylton </Li> </Ul>

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