Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Pay to Play at the Post
Accuracy In Media ^ | JULY 2, 2009 | Don Irvine

Posted on 07/02/2009 8:26:58 AM PDT by AIM Freeper

The Washington Post has taken a page from politicians by offering access to Obama officials and its own reporters for a fee.

From the Politico

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.

(Excerpt) Read more at aim.org ...


TOPICS: Conspiracy; Government; Politics; Society
KEYWORDS: bigmedia; liberalmedia; mediabias; washingtonpost

1 posted on 07/02/2009 8:26:58 AM PDT by AIM Freeper
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: AIM Freeper
...offering access to Obama officials...

Which means that "Obama officials" are on board with this.

2 posted on 07/02/2009 8:38:49 AM PDT by ex91B10 (The only response now is mass resistance.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ex91B10
Which means that "Obama officials" are on board with this.

Working "hand in hand". This might be why there's limited investigation into any wrong done by democrats. They really are "on the take".

3 posted on 07/03/2009 7:24:44 AM PDT by GOPJ ( When a gay 'village' sells black children & hides pedophiles they're mouth breathers, NOT "A-list".)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: sickoflibs; Liz; abb
Which means that "Obama officials" are on board with this.

Working "hand in hand". This might be why there's limited investigation into any wrong done by democrats. They really are "on the take".

4 posted on 07/03/2009 7:25:07 AM PDT by GOPJ ( When a gay 'village' sells black children & hides pedophiles they're mouth breathers, NOT "A-list".)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: AIM Freeper

Does the Speaker of the House know about this? It smacks of a culture of corruption.


5 posted on 07/03/2009 7:26:59 AM PDT by csvset
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: csvset

LOL - I think you have to have a sarcasm warning on your comment.


6 posted on 07/03/2009 7:30:39 AM PDT by GOPJ ( When a gay 'village' sells black children & hides pedophiles they're mouth breathers, NOT "A-list".)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: AIM Freeper

Maybe 5 year old raped and sold Black children can have a voice in the Washington Post if conservatives can raise the money to buy a piece. ( No pun intended )


7 posted on 07/03/2009 7:38:14 AM PDT by GOPJ ( When a gay 'village' sells black children & hides pedophiles they're mouth breathers, NOT "A-list".)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ex91B10; sickoflibs; abb; AIM Freeper
To me, the Wash/Po selling access sends an even louder message--------"Our man is in the WH. We can do anything we damn well please. We are protected."

============================

White House denies involvement.......... Yeah, sure.......I believe that and I also believe in the tooth fairy (/snic).

This scam is more of the nefarious doings of Rahm "Uriah Heep" Emanuel. David Copperfield's ingratiating scoundrel fits Rahm to a tee. Uriah Heep was notorious for wielding undue influence, a manipulative bounder who was always planning and plotting, ingratiating himself into the confidence of others. Uriah Heep was obsequious, manipulative, and wormed his way into positions of influence. Uriah was a consummate con man, and not to be trusted.

Translated into the language of the popular culture, Uriah Heep Rahm, positions himself as amenable to American values but is insincere in these feelings; he uses important issues to advance his hidden agendas and political ambitions.

Like Uriah Heep, power-hungry Rahm feeds on others, and deploys self-serving strategies for his own self-absorbed purposes.

We conservatives are on to this, aware of Whom we serve and watch carefully to see if government promises made to them are empty.

We know this-----Rahm evinces an utter contempt for our culture and is obsessed with party politics. Watch him on TV---Rahm coyly speaks the language to appeal to American values, but he is not a true believer, he is a calculating conniver----a latter-day Uriah Heep.

8 posted on 07/03/2009 8:01:11 AM PDT by Liz (When people fear govt, we have tyranny; when govt fears the people, we have freedom.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: GOPJ

That stuff has been going on for years - we know it and they know we know. And despite the protestations of the newsroom, they know how the game is played. Note all the feigned outrage from the news types.

What happened is the marketing types got a little carried away. Such ‘salons’ are supposed to handled by word-of-mouth on a need-to-know basis.

The P. T. Barnum promotion with glossy flyers is inappropriate for such events.

This time, they got caught.


9 posted on 07/03/2009 8:30:31 AM PDT by abb ("What ISN'T in the news is often more important than what IS." Ed Biersmith, 1942 -)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: abb
Abb - I think you're wrong on this one. What the newsroom did is normal. They reacted with honor.

Journalist die every year covering the news - and they wouldn't be giving up their lives for a “used car lot” manager ( not trying to insult used car dealers by inferring they're like the publisher of the Washington Post...)

10 posted on 07/03/2009 8:48:45 AM PDT by GOPJ ( When a gay 'village' sells black children & hides pedophiles they're mouth breathers, NOT "A-list".)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: GOPJ

I will concede some of the rank-and-file newsies might have been in the dark here. But the “name” journalists, the high-profile editors were in the big middle of this thing. What do you think all that face time on TV is about?

Recall a couple of weeks ago the NYT clown Tom Friedman got caught taking speaking fees - $50K, iirc. At first, he acted like he did nothing wrong. That tells us he’s been doing it for years.

And what type do the rank-and-filers all look up to? The Woodward/Bernstein types. That’s who they all want to be when they grow up.


11 posted on 07/03/2009 9:01:02 AM PDT by abb ("What ISN'T in the news is often more important than what IS." Ed Biersmith, 1942 -)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: abb
I know it's difficult to feel there's a difference between when a press freely chooses at act like they're "bought" and when they actually are bought.

But there is a difference. A big one.

I've known reporters who could be bought - BUT NEVER one who worked at a real newspaper. Never. Those free lancers - sell by the word types - are sometimes a little "easier"...

As far as journalistic integrity among TV newscasters - that's awful. The revolving door between politics and journalism has tarnished the profession beyond words. It's one of the reasons - IMHO - why people don't trust the press like they once did.

If the publisher of the Washington Post wants more money for her paper, she should stop vanity circulation, be MORE honorable - not less - and get some real diversity at the paper - diversity of ideas. She should work at getting more readers - not "fewer journalists".

Abb, I still feel the people in the Washington Post newsroom were honorable and brave - considering this woman holds the power over their jobs. You have to respect them. They should make all of us feel proud.

That said, please - let's end this discussion - I don't want to defend the MSM.

12 posted on 07/03/2009 10:14:21 AM PDT by GOPJ (Raped five year olds can have voice at Washington Post -if we can raise the money to buy access.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: AIM Freeper

Nice post.


13 posted on 07/06/2009 7:19:34 AM PDT by GOPJ (Central park didn't hit 85 degrees in June this year - last time was 1916. Al Gore is nuts.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson