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Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee 'made an indelible mark on history'

Ben Bradlee, the former Washington Post editor who died Tuesday, is remembered as one of the nation's great journalists and a courageous and charismatic friend and colleague.

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Evan Vucci/AP/File
President Barack Obama awards former Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Nov. 20, 2013. Bradlee died Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014, according to the Washington Post.
  • By The Associated Press

"Ben was a true friend and genius leader in journalism. He forever altered our business. His one unbending principle was the quest for the truth and the necessity of that pursuit. He had the courage of an army. Ben had an intuitive understanding of the history of our profession, its formative impact on him and all of us. But he was utterly liberated from that. He was an original who charted his own course. We loved him deeply, and he will never be forgotten or replaced in our lives." — Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the Post reporters who led coverage of the Watergate scandal.

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"Members of The Post family past and present, and indeed all who pursue excellence in journalism, owe a great debt of gratitude to Ben Bradlee for setting and achieving the highest journalistic standards. Ben has been the heart and soul of The Post newsroom for decades. He brought honor to our publication and to the profession he loved. Our hearts go out to Sally and the Bradlee family at this sad time." — Post Publisher Frederick J. Ryan Jr.

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"Ben Bradlee has made an indelible mark on history and on our profession. His spirit has been an inspiration to generations of journalists, demonstrating what our profession can achieve when it is led with courage and an unwavering commitment to truth." Post Executive Editor Martin Baron.

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"The story of the modern Washington Post starts the day Kay Graham made Ben Bradlee the editor of the paper. He was the best. He pushed as hard as an editor can push to print the story of the Pentagon Papers; he led the team that broke the Watergate story. And he did much more. His drive to make the paper better still breathes in every corner of today's Post newsroom." — Donald Graham, chief executive officer of Graham Holdings Co.

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