What primary sources did the new york times and washington post cite about dick cheney in 2025?
Executive summary
The New York Times based its 2025 coverage of Dick Cheney on original reporting, obituary dispatches, explanatory pieces and archival reporting from its correspondents such as Robert D. McFadden and Peter Baker, and interpretive work by reporters like Charlie Savage (see obituaries and analysis pieces) [1] [2] [3]. The Washington Post’s coverage emphasized funeral reporting, on‑the‑ground reporting at the National Cathedral and broader obituary/context pieces by staff reporters who attended the service [4]. Available sources do not mention any internal, previously unpublished primary documents cited by either paper in these 2025 stories; both relied on reporting, interviews, archival material and public statements [1] [3] [4].
1. How the Times framed its sourcing: obituaries, reporters and archival material
The New York Times published multiple obituary and analysis pieces that drew on the Times’ own reporting resources and named correspondents: Robert D. McFadden’s obituary framed Cheney as “widely regarded as the most powerful vice president” and cited a family statement on cause and place of death [1]. Peter Baker — who has covered the Bush‑Cheney years and written a book on the partnership — produced a profile tracing Cheney’s arc from architect of the Iraq war to critic of Donald Trump [2]. Charlie Savage authored analytic reporting tracing Cheney’s legal and institutional legacy on executive power [3]. These items rely on journalist interviews, archival Times photography and previously published reporting rather than newly released internal government documents [1] [2] [3].
2. What counts as “primary sources” in the Times pieces — and what’s missing
In the Times reporting available, primary on‑the‑record material consists chiefly of family statements, public remarks (for example, eulogies and past interviews), contemporaneous reporting and archival photographs [1] [5]. The Times cites specific interviews and past public statements by Cheney and others [3] [2]. The papers do not, in the cited corpus, rely on newly declassified memos, internal White House logs or previously unpublished Cheney papers; available sources do not mention such internal documents [1] [3] [2].
3. The Post’s sourcing: funeral reporting and eyewitness coverage
The Washington Post’s coverage emphasized reporting from the funeral itself and context about Cheney’s place in modern Republican politics. Post reporters Paul Schwartzman and Joe Heim provided on‑site description and quotes about who attended and who did not, anchoring their piece in eyewitness reporting and statements made at the National Cathedral [4]. The Post’s primary attributions in that story are to speakers, attendees and the Post’s own reporters present at the service [4].
4. Cross‑media corroboration: how other outlets’ primary evidence compares
Other outlets cited in the search results used similar on‑the‑record materials: family statements (reprinted by Fox and Reuters), eulogies and official observations [6] [7]. International outlets and magazines (The Guardian, BBC, New Yorker) relied on funeral attendance lists, quotes from Bush and Liz Cheney, and park‑bench reporting from the cathedral [8] [9] [10]. That parallel coverage corroborates that mainstream reporting in November 2025 relied on public statements, speeches and reporters’ eyewitness accounts rather than fresh archival disclosures [8] [9] [10].
5. What the reporting implies about editorial agendas and emphasis
The Times placed weight on Cheney’s institutional legacy — executive‑power expansion, national‑security policy and the Iraq war — through reporters with long beats on those subjects (Charlie Savage, Peter Baker) [3] [2]. That emphasis frames Cheney as an architect whose ideas “paved the way” for later presidencies [3]. The Post’s coverage foregrounded ceremony, attendees and partisan fissures at the funeral, implicitly highlighting the current political rupture between Cheney‑era Republicans and the Trump coalition [4]. Each outlet’s choice of reporter and lead emphasis reflects editorial priorities: law/legacy and long‑form institutional history at the Times, and on‑the‑ground ceremonial and political theater at the Post [3] [4].
Limitations and final note
This assessment is limited to the provided search results and articles; available sources do not mention either paper’s use in 2025 of newly declassified Cheney internal memos or unpublished primary archival documents, only reporting that cites family statements, contemporary interviews, eulogies, archival photos and the papers’ own reporters [1] [3] [2] [4]. If you want a catalogue of every named primary on‑the‑record quotation and the exact documents they referenced, I can pull excerpts and cite the specific Times and Post paragraphs from the articles listed here [1] [3] [2] [4].