WaPo Sells Access
Big story broken by Politico today. The Washington Post is offering lobbyists access to the powerful (for a small fee, of course):
For $25,000 to $250,000, The Washington Post is offering lobbyists and association executives off-the-record, nonconfrontational access to “those powerful few” — Obama administration officials, members of Congress, and the paper’s own reporters and editors.
The astonishing offer is detailed in a flier circulated Wednesday to a health care lobbyist, who provided it to a reporter because the lobbyist said he feels it’s a conflict for the paper to charge for access to, as the flier says, its “health care reporting and editorial staff.”
The offer — which essentially turns a news organization into a facilitator for private lobbyist-official encounters — is a new sign of the lengths to which news organizations will go to find revenue at a time when most newspapers are struggling for survival.
And it’s a turn of the times that a lobbyist is scolding The Washington Post for its ethical practices.
How, exactly, is the Washington Post promising access to administration officials and members of Congress? Are they planning on disguising lobbyists as reporters or something? As you might expect, this is raising more than a few eyebrows.
The WaPo news division responds to the Washington Independent:
A flyer was distributed this week offering an “underwriting opportunity” for a dinner on health-care reform, in which the news department had been asked to participate.
The language in the flyer and the description of the event preclude our participation.
We will not participate in events where promises are made that in exchange for money The Post will offer access to newsroom personnel or will refrain from confrontational questioning. Our independence from advertisers or sponsors is inviolable.
There is a long tradition of news organizations hosting conferences and events, and we believe The Post, including the newsroom, can do these things in ways that are consistent with our values.
Quick: someone call a blogger ethics conference!
Tags: Corruption, Newspapers, Washington Post
I guess they figured out the advertising revenue dilemma!
Holy…
If the Earth just stopped spinning on its axis it is because H. L. Mencken is spinning in his grave so furiously that it is fucking with our gravitational fields.
I believe that the people running this blog are motivated primarily by their principles. While I often disagree on ideological points, I have respect for an integrity that I believe most bloggers share.
When a newspaper sells access in addition to advertising space, it is an admission of ethical bankruptcy that may soon be followed by the type involving money.
Could a blog fall so low?
As long as they limit the ‘speakers’ to David Broder, Bill Kristol, and Charles Krauthammer, and, as long as they limit that Unholy Trio to ONLY doing these gigs instead of writing their insipidity, ‘bulo considers this a ‘win-win’.
One more thing. Art Downs wrote:
“When a newspaper sells access in addition to advertising space, it is an admission of ethical bankruptcy that may soon be followed by the type involving money. Could a blog fall so low?”
The Beast Who Slumbers does not know the answer to that question. But he wouldn’t mind being in a position to find out…
The news division of the WaPo can put out any statement it wants, but the average reader isn’t going to distinguish between the news and other divisions, particularly when the Politico story says only The Washington Post.
When the government, media and corporations all work together….fascism. Mussolini speaks. All we need is 40,000 K Street lobbyists having even more access through the so called public record (which WAPO) is not, to our elected leaders.
Democracy is gone we are living in a lobbytocracy!
Kakistrocacy now, I think.
Life at 20th & K can be less than stimulating. Six months was enough for me. The moral climate might be better at 14th & U. Others will have to fill me in on that one. I just drove through without stopping.
The Beast Who Slumbers does not know the answer to that question. But he wouldn’t mind being in a position to find out…El S
You might not respect yourself in the morning if you did.