The celebrations of Watergate were just dimming when Bradlee had to deal with a long-brewing fight. A rift between the Newspaper Guild and the Post exploded into a violent strike in 1975.

The strike included a coordinated attack on the Washington Post presses in which all 72 were damaged in 20 minutes and ended when some guild members crossed the picket line.

In 1976, with the strike behind him, Bradlee continued to change the way the Post looked and functioned. With the help of socialite reporter Sally Quinn, Bradlee revamped the paper's Style section and in 1977 the newspaper added The Washington Post Magazine.

Quinn's and Bradlee's relationship grew into more than a professional association and in 1978, Bradlee married for a third time.

"Sally was an engine of change, as she reached out for new friends, new experiences, new places," Bradlee recalled in his autobiography. "She changed me by showing me there was a life outside the confines of The Washington Post."