Ep 19. The Power of the Press

The Power of the Press episode of The Brady Bunch season 3 revolves around the theme of journalism. The episode starts with Marcia, who is a journalist for her school's newspaper, writing an article on Harvey Klinger, a local businessman and a client of her father. However, instead of mentioning his accomplishments, she decides to write about his soft side by highlighting the time he gave a huge contribution to a local orphanage. She assumed that he would be happy with the publicity, but instead, Mr. Klinger takes offense and threatens to sue the school and the publication, citing that Marcia's article portrayed him in a false light.

Mr. Klinger's reaction affects Marcia, who faces the possibility of losing her article and her position as head of the school newspaper. Moreover, she also has to deal with the guilt of potentially ruining her father's friendship and business relationship with Mr. Klinger. Greg, who has experience writing for the school paper, helps Marcia revise the article to include more of Mr. Klinger's accomplishments, but Mr. Klinger is still unhappy with the revised version.

Meanwhile, Bobby and Cindy also decide to take up journalism and interview their family members for the school newspaper. However, their articles are filled with boring details and exaggerations, and nobody in the family is impressed with their work.

As the episode progresses, the family urges Marcia to stand up to Mr. Klinger, emphasizing the importance of the freedom of the press and the need to report the truth. In the end, Marcia convinces Mr. Klinger to drop his lawsuit by giving him an opportunity to tell his side of the story in a new article. Mr. Klinger is happy with the article, and Marcia retains her position as the head of the school newspaper.

The Power of the Press is a relevant and timely episode about the importance of journalism, the freedom of the press, and the potential consequences of writing about someone else's life. It is also a great lesson about standing up for what you believe in, even if it means going against people in positions of power and influence. As with most Brady Bunch episodes, there are also plenty of heartwarming moments, and the family's unwavering support for Marcia highlights the show's central theme of family values.