A brouhaha for the Washington Post
The Washington Post found itself in a dustup today over Politico’s reporting that the paper was selling sponsorships to salons for lobbyists and association executives at the home of Post Publisher Katharine Weymouth. The fliers marketing the salons offered off-the-record sessions with journalists and newsmakers. Sponsorships were $25,000 for a single session and $250,000 for a series.
The company has canceled the plans and media reporter Howard Kurtz quotes Weymouth as saying: “This should never have happened. The fliers got out and weren’t vetted. They didn’t represent at all what we were attempting to do. We’re not going to do any dinners that would impugn the integrity of the newsroom.”
Washington Post Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli told Politico: “You cannot buy access to a Washington Post journalist.” He was named on the flier as one of the “Hosts and Discussion Leaders.”


Jean is projects editor at the Post-Dispatch. She is a member of Bridges Across Racial Polarization, a group devoted to creating friendships and fostering communication among racial and cultural groups in the community. After growing up in a small town in Kansas, she lived in Kansas City and Wilmington, Del., before moving to St. Louis in 2004. She and her husband, Dan Wiggs, live in University City.
-So, it’s OK to buy politicians, just not journalists.
-Sorry, you’ve been bought long ago. Maybe not with monetary remuneration, but you have sold your soul to the democrat party.
-So, we’ve established that you are whores for the dems, now just negotiate the price.