Huckleberries Online

Post Offers, Rescinds Paid Access

Posted by DFO

July 2, 2009 9:36 a.m. • 15 comments

For $25,000 to $250,000, The Washington Post has offered lobbyists and association executives off-the-record, nonconfrontational access to “those powerful few”: Obama administration officials, members of Congress, and — at first — even the paper’s own reporters and editors. The astonishing offer was detailed in a flier circulated Wednesday to a health care lobbyist, who provided it to a reporter because the lobbyist said he felt it was a conflict for the paper to charge for access to, as the flier says, its “health care reporting and editorial staff”/Politico. More here. H/T: Beth Bollinger/Accidental Rabbit Trails

Post publisher cancels plans for ‘off-the-record’ salons/Washington Post

Question: What do you think of that fact that a department at a major newspaper actually entertained the idea of providing access to powerful people for thousands of dollars?

15 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

scootermom on July 02 at 9:53 a.m.
At least they’re honest about it.
Cabbage Boy on July 02 at 9:57 a.m.
Surprisingly candid. Don’t think they meant to though, otherwise they wouldn’t have “canceled”.
Phaedrus on July 02 at 9:57 a.m.
Maybe it is the new business model for newspapers.
pthompson on July 02 at 10:22 a.m.
Its not a new business model at all its and old one brorrowed from the 70’s era TASS and Pravda.
JamesBond on July 02 at 10:51 a.m.
The liberals who whine all the time about Fox News remind me a lot of the Politburo whining about the western radio broadcasts that could be picked up behind the Iron Curtain.
Sisyphus on July 02 at 11:03 a.m.
The wingnuts who listen only to Fox News remind me of the zeal of the Hitler Youth.
Cindy_H on July 02 at 11:39 a.m.
First Godwin of the week goes to Sis.
Sisyphus on July 02 at 11:52 a.m.
Good observation, sugar pop. Should I guide you through the remainder of the comparison? ;-) What should be the equivalent for comparing to communists/socialists? Should we hand out Marxies?
Charlie on July 02 at 12:37 p.m.
I find the comparison of people who listen to FOX news to Hitler youth rather vapid. Must have struck a live nerve!
BethB on July 02 at 12:44 p.m.
Update on the WaPo issue: the paper has now canceled the entire event.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/02/AR2009070202389.html
Cabbage Boy on July 02 at 1:01 p.m.
Charlie,
It’s what passes for thought/humor on the left bank. I kinda thought the ObamaCorp had some interesting similarities.
Cabbage Boy on July 02 at 1:01 p.m.
@Beth

They can’t retreat fast enough on this blunder.
BethB on July 02 at 2:47 p.m.
No doubt, CB! They’ve got their story going - we didn’t know we were the only sponsor, blah blah…
BethB on July 02 at 2:55 p.m.
On news sources.. two things. First, diversify. That’s the way to get news from a lot of perspectives and then reach your own conclusion about facts (and nuances therein). Second - and this is sad - I can tell when a friend or family member has gotten a news item from Fox News: the story’s outrageous; it’s not on Google News (meaning, it’s not wide spread); and, after a little digging, it turns out to be either incredibly misleading as to the real facts or, sometimes, it’s just out-and-out false. I’m sure some of the Fox News stories can be accurate. But if I can routinely tell when stories come from Fox News because of their outrageous falsities… That’s a problem.

I wish there was a solid conservative alternative out there. I do like to get my sources from a lot of places…
spokelooneh on July 02 at 10:02 p.m.
The WA HO PO fired their only liberal blogger last week. That paper is NOTHING like it was back in the day.

« Back to Huckleberries Online

You must be logged in to post comments.
Please create a profile or log in here.

About this blog

D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.