Leonard Downie, Jr. was the Executive Editor of the Washington Post . Downie has spent his entire journalistic career at the paper, where he started as a summer intern reporter in 1965. He soon became a prize-winning investigative reporter on the papers Metro desk. In 1974, when he was Assistant Managing Editor for Metropolitan News, Downie oversaw the papers Watergate coverage. Downie has also served as the Post s London correspondent before becoming National Editor in 1982. In 1984, he was named Managing Editor of the Washington Post , a position he held until 1991, when he was named Executive Editor. Under Downies leadership, the paper won 25 Pulitzer Prizes including three Pulitzer gold medals for public service.

Listen to Downie speak about the Post 's decision, just before the presidential election of 1996, not to publish information about Senator Robert Dole's personal life.