Katherine Graham

Graham, who died in 2001, held the title of publisher at The Washington Post from 1969 until 1979. She spoke to Fresh Air in 1997 about her 1971 decision to publish the top-secret documents.

This week, former "Washington Post" publisher Katharine Graham won a Pulitzer Prize for her autobiography "Personal History" (Knopf). In this archive interview, Graham reflects on how she overcame personal doubts in order to run the paper she inherited. Graham's father owned "the Post" and later her husband, Phil Graham, took over. Graham became publisher, after her husband's suicide in 1963, though she knew little about the managerial or journalistic aspects of the position.

Graham's father owned "the Post" in 1933 and later her husband, Phil Graham, took over. Following her husband's suicide in 1963, Graham became publisher, knowing little about the managerial or journalistic aspects of the job. But, learning while she worked, she transformed the paper into one of the country's most respected newspapers. "The Post" broke the Watergate scandal and published the Pentagon Papers against a federal judge's ruling. Graham also became chairman and CEO of the Washington Post Media company.