Washington Post cancels plan to charge lobbyists to attend 'salons'

“Appalled” and “disappointed” are among the words — at least the published ones — officials at the Washington Post are using today to describe actions by, well, the Washington Post. As the paper reports:

Washington Post Publisher Katharine Weymouth today canceled plans for a series of policy dinners at her home after learning that marketing fliers offered lobbyists access to Obama administration officials, members of Congress and Post journalists in exchange for payments as high as $250,000.

Weymouth is quoted as being “disappointed,” and Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli is the one who is “appalled.” The salon plan was reported today by Politico.

In its own story, the Post says:

Two Post executives familiar with the planning, who declined to be identified discussing internal planning, said the fliers appear to be the product of overzealous marketing executives. The fliers were overseen by Charles Pelton, a Post executive hired this year as a conference organizer. He was not immediately available for comment.

White House communications director Anita Dunn said today that The Post Co. had approached officials at the Health and Human Services Department to participate in a Weymouth dinner later this month. But, she said, "no senior Obama administration officials had accepted any invitation for the 'salon.' " 

The paper’s ombudsman, Andrew Alexander, says in a commentary, "For a storied newspaper that cherishes its reputation for ethical purity, this comes pretty close to a public relations disaster."

-- Steve Padilla

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Comments

[Harry Paritestis]

Obongo's team has quite the cachet if they can fetch $250,000 a head for an evening of face time facilitated by the Washington Post.

[mediaman]

When mainstream news media talk about why they are failing commercially, their answer usually is built around blaming the audience.

Examples of the dismissive language journalists use to rationalize their situation: “Americans don’t read anymore.” “They want their news for free.”

For once, view the media from the audience’s perspective. Print and broadcast media reside just north of Congress and banks in Americans’ confidence in them as an institution:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/121214/Americans-Confidence-Military-Banks-Down.aspx

This incident and other media scandals explain why those low ratings are well earned.

[mediaman]

When mainstream news media talk about why they are failing commercially, their answer usually is built around blaming the audience.

Examples of the dismissive language journalists use to rationalize their situation: “Americans don’t read anymore.” “They want their news for free.”

For once, view the media from the audience’s perspective. Print and broadcast media reside just north of Congress and banks in Americans’ confidence in them as an institution:

http://www.gallup.com/poll/121214/Americans-Confidence-Military-Banks-Down.aspx

This incident and other media scandals explain why those low ratings are well earned.

[larry]

To consider this a "public relations disaster"shows the Post s clueless to the much larger ethical implications. The leading newspaper in the Nation's capital is selling access to reporters and government officials for lobbyists. This marks the final step in the Post's fall from a provider of quality journalism to a pimp for lobbyists.

[SClanding]

Doesn't the America people have a RIGHT TO KNOW which Obama administration officials were whoring themselves out so that the Washington Post could charge 25K to 250K a plate? And how much of a kickback were the Obama officials getting?

This stinks worse that WATERGATE.

[John F Krzysiak]

Was the Washington Post planning to announce a New Editorial Mission Statement at these gatherings?

What could it have been?

Was it - "All the news that's worth a price" Or "Only The News That's priced right" Or, News For The Right Price"
Or "All the news that fits the price"

You know what? It does not matter!

The cats out of the bag. Some poor slob in marketing will take the hit and get canned.
The stupid will not accept that what the flier revealed was in fact discussed by
those who will cover their butts by blaming him or her.

Oh and the rest of American newspapers will bury this.

These so-called salon series of dinners would actually better be called séances where evil plotting forces in our society gather
to buy opinion and coverage and divvy up public spoils.

The cat is now out of the bag about the American press – IT IS FOR SALE! . My My!

The flier that was to announce this was just not something some marketing VP conjured up.
Only the ignorant will swallow the story that “TOP POST CORPORATE” management had nothing to do with this.

To have a party setting of this magnitude requires top management knowledge.

The poor guy or woman who sat in on the corporate direction and planning meeting for this snafu will be fired.

BUT it was “top management” that very obviously decided they were going to make big bucks by bringing in industry leaders to meet clandestinely with congress under the guise of seeking opinions, when the real purpose was evil and the nurturing false news.

John F Krzysiak
Haines City Florida