When Newspapers Peddle Influence (WaPoGate - Dinosaur Media DeathWatch™)

The Wall Street Journal ^ | July 8, 2009 | Thomas Frank

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Some time last week the Washington Post issued a flier advertising a "salon" on the health-care issue. Over dinner at the home of the paper's publisher, Katharine Weymouth, participants were promised "a collegial evening, with Obama administration officials, Congress members, business leaders, advocacy leaders and other select minds."

The paper's executive editor and its "health-care reporters" would be there too, but not in a "confrontational" capacity, you could rest assured. Everything would be safely "off-the-record." And you could "bring your organization's CEO or executive director literally to the table" for a mere $25,000.

Even in Washington, it's unusual to see an actual price tag placed on a chance to "alter the debate," as the Post's flier tastefully put it. Stranger still is it to see the city's scourge of public corruption -- the Post broke the Watergate story and the Walter Reed scandal, among others -- seemingly offering its own good offices for hire.

It was a moment of rare, piquant hypocrisy. Let us take it slow and savor every drop.

To begin with, just think of the functions of righteousness that the Post effectively put up on the block. Here was journalism's zealous guardian of professional rectitude with its hand apparently out for a little bit of baksheesh. Here was the definer of the capital's consensus, the policer of its ideological boundaries, seemingly offering to adjust its vast reserves of Washington wisdom for you if the price was right.

In such a ham-handed manner, too. When the leading newspaper of the capital city of the world's most powerful country decides to turn influence-peddler, is this the best it can do? An advertisement that reads as though it were promoting expensive scotch? ("Bringing together those powerful few.") Not even favorite Post targets like Jack Abramoff stooped to that.

snip

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It's still bubbling...

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ping

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http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-onthemedia8-2009jul08,0,4289925.column
Journalism ‘salons’ needn’t be hair-raising

http://followthemedia.com/fittoprint/salon08072009.htm
The Washington Post Salon Episode – A Public Relations Disaster If Ever There Was One – Indicates Just How Far Newspapers Are Trying To Bring In Revenue By Unorthodox Methods

http://townhall.com/Columnists/JonahGoldberg/2009/07/08/posts_salon_mess_brazen,_not_shocking
Post’s ‘Salon’ Mess Brazen, Not Shocking

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/07/07/why-running-a-newspaper-means-having-to-say-youre-sorry/
Why Running a Newspaper Means Having to Say You’re Sorry

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sandy-maisel/journalistic-values-in-th_b_227319.html
Journalistic Values in the 21st Century

http://www.prweekus.com/Post-event-blunder-a-lesson-in-planning-for-other-outlets/article/139676/
‘Post’ event blunder a lesson in planning for other outlets

http://newsosaur.blogspot.com/2009/07/inland-issues-reworked-profit-study.html
Inland issues ‘reworked’ profit study

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http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=137776
Mayor Bloomberg to Media Industry: We’re Here to Help

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=137759
Why NBC’s Negotiations Won’t Move the Market

http://recoveringjournalist.typepad.com/recovering_journalist/
This Just In: Michael Jackson, Still Dead

http://www.newspaperdeathwatch.com/
Ex-Rockies Launch Another Startup

[Spok]

The corruption and bias is so pervasive that it cannot, and most probably needs not, be hidden or debated. The real problem for the MSM is that when the public begins to realize that the ‘Bama has taken them for a ride, the media be the target of their anger as well. The ‘Bama, who is just another hack from the corrupt Chicago machine, was packaged, marketed and sold to America by the MSM, and there will be a reckoning.

[maggief]

btt

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http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109256
Tribune May Seal Cubs Deal, Relieve Some Debt

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=109330
Press Crunch: Newspaper Deals in Miami, Boston Stall

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/audio/2009/jul/08/media-talk-usa-podcast-american-bbc
Media Talk USA: Is it time for an American BBC?

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Cable_65recap/Cable_nabs_ever_bigger_share_of_viewers.asp
Cable nabs ever bigger share of viewers

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http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Media_economy_57/Readers_This_year_s_upfront_is_puzzler.asp
Readers: This year’s upfront is a puzzler

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http://www.slate.com/id/2222405/pagenum/all
The David Bradley Effect

[GOPJ]

The Wall Street Journal doesn't whore themselves - and strangely they're not losing readers.

Could there be a connection?

A hundred grand will buy a ticket to a Washington Post “A-list soiree” - with enough left over to bring the current liberal “in” pedophile and a high level tax cheat or two.

I'm soooooooo jealous... Yeah baby, dems are cool - I'm gonna pay to subscribe to that dem suck-up paper...

[Zakeet]

It was a moment of rare, piquant hypocrisy. Let us take it slow and savor every drop.

It was not rare -- newsers have been peddling influence for years -- usually in exchange for ad dollars, but more frequently in recent years for the advancement of a liberal agenda.

It was not piquant -- this mess stinks terribly and not in an appealing or agreeable sense.

However, it is worth taking slow and savoring if for no other reason than "it couldn't have happened to better people."

[Huebolt]

Free Republic needs to support members ending cable tv service until a FOX only or equivalent is offered. That’s the only real DEATH TO LIBERAL MEDIA MONOPOLY. We all pay for it, like it or not, until we cancel.

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http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2009/07/jrc_gets_ok_to.php
JRC Bankruptcy, “Shutdown Bonuses” OK’d

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http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=817722&category=BUSINESS
Times Union cuts workers

http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/07/adios-gannettblog-where-are-the-rest-of-the-watchblogs/
Adiós, Gannett Blog; where are the rest of the watchblogs?

http://thephoenix.com/BLOGS/dontquoteme/archive/2009/07/08/mooney-speaks.aspx
Mooney speaks!

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http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=131&aid=166232
Deja Vu Not: Post, Kaiser in Promising New Venture

http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2009/07/08/economics/847utlease070709.txt
For Lease: U-T Headquarters

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/08/who_needs_the_ny_times_you_do_still/index.php
Who Needs the NY Times? We All Do. Still.

http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2009/07/the_denver_posts_quarter-life.php
The Denver Post’s quarter-life crisis

http://www.salon.com/books/excerpt/2009/07/06/scott_rosenberg/
How blogs changed everything

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/50205757.html
Metro denies it has ceased publishing

http://open.salon.com/blog/future_of_journalism/2009/07/08/facts_dog_cleveland_newspaper_defender
Facts dog Cleveland newspaper defender

http://open.salon.com/blog/future_of_journalism/2009/07/07/newspaper_to_bloggers_shut_up_pipsqueaks
Newspaper to bloggers: Shut up pipsqueaks!

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http://trueslant.com/dianemermigas/2009/07/08/medias-myopic-eye-could-be-its-downfall/
Media’s Myopic Vision Could Be Its Downfall

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/07/08/more-support-for-changing-copyright-law-to-help-newspapers/
More support for changing copyright law to help newspapers

http://paidcontent.org/article/419-as-gannetts-newspapers-suffer-digital-side-sees-growth-more-hiring-and-/
As Gannett’s Newspapers Suffer, Digital Side Sees Growth, More Hiring And Acquisitions

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http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/07/06/daily39.html
Enquirer lays off CinWeekly staff

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http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/blog-849-enquirer-layoffs-the-tally-so-far.html
Enquirer Layoffs: The Tally So Far

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http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003991669
‘Times Union’ Lays Off 15, Including Some Editors

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003991966
Behind the Copyright Controversy: What’s Really Being Proposed

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http://newsosaur.blogspot.com/2009/07/jacko-mania-tarnished-media-credibility.html#comments
Jacko-mania tarnished media credibility