Ethics

Washington Post Not Alone

By Ed Brayton

It seems the Washington Post is not alone in offering to help lobbyists and business interests to get special access to political leaders. Politico reports that the Wall Street Journal and The Economist have held similar events.

The fact is the Post's clumsy effort to make money on its brand name and market its access to the powerful was a belated effort to follow in the steps of at least two other prominent news organizations: The Wall Street Journal and the Economist magazine.

The Journal, for instance, is charging a $7,500 for its two-day CEO Council in November, an elite gathering that will include the paper's top editors and high-profile speakers like Tony Blair, Rupert Murdoch, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan. And for a few thousand dollars, The Economist can open the door to intimate off-the-record meet-and-greets with world leaders.

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on July 09, 2009 (boomark / email).