Editorial Coverage of Stories
In 1969, Rosenthal became managing editor of the New York Times with overall command of the paper's news operations. During the 1970s he directed coverage of a number of important news stories, including the Vietnam war and the Watergate scandal.
Rosenthal played a decisive role in the paper's decision to publish the Pentagon Papers in 1971. Because this secret government history of the Vietnam War was Classified information, publication of the papers could have led to charges of treason, lawsuits, or even jail time for paper staff. Rosenthal pushed for publishing the papers (along with Time's reporter Neil Sheehan and publisher Arthur Ochs Sulzberger). The Nixon administration sued to stop publication, resulting in a Supreme Court decision upholding the right of the press to publish items without "prior restraint" on the part of the government.
Read more about this topic: A. M. Rosenthal
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