Free Republic

The Washington Post's ill-fated plan to sell sponsorships of off-the-record "salons" was an ethical lapse of monumental proportions. Publisher Katharine Weymouth and Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli have now taken full responsibility for what was envisioned as a series of 11 intimate dinners to discuss public policy issues. For a fee of up to $25,000, underwriters were guaranteed a seat at the table with lawmakers, administration officials, think tank experts, business leaders and the heads of associations. Promotional materials said Weymouth, Brauchli and at least one Post reporter would serve as "Hosts and Discussion Leaders" for an evening of spirited but...

WashPost sells access, $25,000+ By: Mike Allen July 2, 2009 08:04 AM EST For $25,000 to $250,000, The Washington Post is offering lobbyists and association executives off the record, non-confrontational 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...

The Washington Post is marketing to institutional executives and lobbyists dinners with congressmen, Obama officials and its own reporters, according to Politico.com. The "salons" will be held at the home of CEO and Publisher Katharine Weymouth. Price for access ranges from $25,000 to $250,000, according to the flier. So much for the role of watchdog. At least now, there is no excuse for doubting everything you read. The new service was made known to the general public by a health-care lobbyist offended by the policy. The flier baldly said the dinners would provide access to the paper's “health care reporting...

General Electric is getting yet more taxpayer money, possibly laundered federal money, to subsidize its business. A GE press release announced that the state of Michigan will provide GE with $60 million to build a $100 million “technology & software center” — what used to be known as an “office building.”

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In a windowless room at the Westin Hotel in downtown Denver, leading business journalists and editors explained how the media “blew it” in covering the economic meltdown. They admitted, on one hand, to falling under the sway of free-market ideology and celebrating risk-taking financial leaders and, on the other, to missing the complex story of the rupturing system by only reporting it in parts and to almost no effect for the past decade. Although not planned as confession, the discussion, which kicked off the annual conference of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW), quickly descended into an...

Subj: Sexual Assault, Attempted Murder--CT Newspaper Blackout

The journalistic legacy of Walter Duranty, Herbert Matthews and Jayson Blair is alive and well at the New York Times: A lawyer involved with legal action against Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) told a House Judiciary subcommittee on March 19 The New York Times had killed a story in October that would have shown a close link between ACORN, Project Vote and the Obama campaign because it would have been a "a game changer."

CHICAGO Newspapers perform a public service for democracy and should be allowed to operate as tax-exempt non-profits, U.S. Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D.-Md., proposed Tuesday. Cardin introduced a bill that would explicitly include newspapers among organizations eligible for 501(c)(3) status. The non-profit status is the same that public radio and television have now. The legislation would give a national green light for newspapers to adopt the so-called Low Profit Limited Liability Company business model, often shortened to L3C. The L3C model, which the Newspaper Guild supports as an alternative newspaper ownership model, is the subject of a feature story in the...

Chris Matthews, the usually garrulous host of “Hardball” on MSNBC, has quietly signed a new long-term contract to remain with the cable network through the next election, signaling that he had quit entertaining any plans to run for a Senate seat. The deal is for at least four years. Financial terms were not disclosed, and neither side would confirm whether MSNBC had won a reduction in salary for the host, as it had been reported to be seeking. Previous reports put his annual salary at about $5 million. One executive involved in the negotiations said, “Whether he took a slight...

I recently heard a talking ahead proclaim that the Obama administration had decided its anti-Rush offensive had run its course and that it would abandoning the campaign. Guess not. At today’s press briefing, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs took yet another swipe at Rush, and former VP Dick Cheney. What made it more notable was that at least some in the White House press corps could be heard laughing out loud at this latest attempt at humor. It was a question from CNN’s Ed Henry, asking Gibbs to respond to the criticism Cheney had leveled at the Obama administration...

Barack Obama bought and paid for these banks. They better get in line behind his plan to abolish the secret ballot in unionization elections. That’s Rachel Maddow’s position. The MSNBC host is furious that banks taking bail-out funds have the audacity to do what they think is in the best interest of their businesses, instead of supporting the president’s scheme to do away with what most Americans consider a sacred element of democracy: the secret ballot. Apparently Citi and Bank of America have hosted conference calls in which opposition was expressed to the Obama-backed, Orwellian-named, Employee Free Choice Act, which...

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — As sharp revenue reductions put the future of many U.S. newspapers in doubt, one idea gaining attention is the conversion of newspapers into tax-exempt non-profits supported by large endowments. Although viewed by many as a long shot at best, such a radical change could be a saviour for the industry and its vital role in a democracy. That's why the endowment model is drawing renewed attention as newspapers impose massive layoffs, scale back home delivery and make other drastic cuts to counter plunging advertising revenue amid a recession that has compounded struggles from the migration of...

In three months since Election Day, at least a half-dozen prominent journalists have taken jobs working for the federal government. Journalists, including some of those who’ve jumped ship, say it’s better to have a solid job in government than a shaky job - or none at all - in an industry that’s fading fast. But conservative critics answer with a question: Would journalists be making the same career choices if John McCain had beaten Barack Obama in November? "Obama bails out more media water-carriers," conservative blogger Michelle Malkin wrote upon hearing that the Chicago Tribune’s Jill Zuckman is taking a...

Top Democrat spills beans on revival of 'Fairness Doctrine' "A little state control wouldn't hurt anybody," declared Jerry Brown, California's Democrat attorney general, in on air comments   esterday about the possible reinstatement of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine." "You have a point of view and I have a point of view and they are different. I think the clash can sometimes illuminate the two better than just a one sided presentation," stated Brown, during an exclusive interview with Michael Savage broadcast on the top talker's national radio show. Savage countered by positing any revival of the "Fairness Doctrine" is aimed at...

Obama's Press List Membership shall have its privileges. About half-way through President Obama's press conference Monday night, he had an unscripted question of his own. "All, Chuck Todd," the President said, referring to NBC's White House correspondent. "Where's Chuck?" He had the same strange question about Fox News's Major Garrett: "Where's Major?" The problem wasn't the lighting in the East Room. The President was running down a list of reporters preselected to ask questions. The White House had decided in advance who would be allowed to question the President and who was left out. Presidents are free to conduct press...

There are apparently a hell of a lot of babies being made in this country.Last July 4th, President Bush marveled at how our country had grown from 13 colonies to a nation of 300 people. In seven months time, we have exploded to the point that a half-billion Americans a month are losing jobs – according to Nancy Pelosi. At this rate, by next July 4th, there will be two-and-a-half-trillion people out of work here in the United States.I’m no economics guru, but I would think that is something we as a country would want to avoid, no?It’s been out...

Newspapers are for sale across the country. National Public Radio and television news shows are laying off staff. The Tribune Co. (which owns this and other newspapers) is in bankruptcy. It's clear that journalism is in crisis, and in the current recession, things are likely to get much worse. That's alarming. A robust press is vital to our democracy. And while bloggers and other new-media news operations have enriched the public dialogue in important ways, their work still depends on the painstaking -- and expensive -- reporting supplied by traditional journalists. Some conclude from the recent dire reports about the...

A common defense of error today is to say, with due indignation, "I have a right to my opinion!"  Legally this is true, given that our First Amendment is extant.  But as G.K. Chesterton once said, "Having the right to do something is not at all the same as being right in doing it."  There is no moral right to an immoral opinion -- nor to one bred of emotionalism unconstrained by reason -- nor to a deceitful one. More than ever, Americans are realizing that this isn't a sentiment to which the mainstream media subscribes.  In fact, with how...

"A source of mine called to say that Obama's reached out to some newspaper publishers about giving papers a tax break in the stimulus package." "Obama pays off his base: The media." Chip Saltsman's best moment in the RNC Chairman debate last Monday was describing our current policy shift, in which winners and losers are set by the market, to a world where winners and losers are set by President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader Reid.