The Press: Grandmothers Die Hard

From a directive issued to the Washington Post staff by Executive Editor Ben Bradlee on June 3: “It is the policy of the Washington Post to make the equality and dignity of women completely and instinctively meaningful . . . Words like ‘divorcee,’ ‘grandmother,’ ‘blonde’ (or ‘brunette’) or ‘housewife’ should be avoided in all stories where, if a man were involved, the words ‘divorcé,’ ‘grandfather,’ ‘blond’ or ‘householder’ would be inapplicable. In other words, they should be avoided.”

From a Page One story in the Post on August 6: “Lenore Romney . . . emerged today as the Michigan Republican Party’s U.S. Senate nominee . . . Mrs. Romney, a 60-year-old grandmother making her first bid for elected public office . . .”