A cunning plan:
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."
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."
Damage control!:
The Washington Post's executive editor said today he is "appalled" by a plan to charge lobbyists as much as $250,000 for off-the-record gatherings at the home of the paper's publisher -- with Obama administration officials, members of Congress and the paper's reporters and editors -- and insisted that the newsroom will not participate."It suggests that access to Washington Post journalists was available for purchase," Brauchli said in an interview. The proposal "promises we would suspend our usual skeptical questioning because it appears to offer, in exchange for sponsorships, the good name of The Washington Post."Brauchli was responding to fliers, circulated by the paper's parent company, offering an "intimate and exclusive Washington Post Salon, an off-the-record dinner and discussion at the home of CEO and Publisher Katharine Weymouth." The fliers, which said participants would be charged $25,000 to sponsor a single salon and $250,000 to underwrite an annual series of 11 sessions, were reported this morning by Politico."We do not offer access to the newsroom for money," Brauchli said. "We just are not in that business."
"It suggests that access to Washington Post journalists was available for purchase," Brauchli said in an interview. The proposal "promises we would suspend our usual skeptical questioning because it appears to offer, in exchange for sponsorships, the good name of The Washington Post."
Brauchli was responding to fliers, circulated by the paper's parent company, offering an "intimate and exclusive Washington Post Salon, an off-the-record dinner and discussion at the home of CEO and Publisher Katharine Weymouth." The fliers, which said participants would be charged $25,000 to sponsor a single salon and $250,000 to underwrite an annual series of 11 sessions, were reported this morning by Politico.
"We do not offer access to the newsroom for money," Brauchli said. "We just are not in that business."
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 2 July 2009 15:58 (4 months ago) Permalink
'skeptical questioning'
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 2 July 2009 15:59 (4 months ago) Permalink
w t f
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 2 July 2009 16:23 (4 months ago) Permalink
Ezra K was not thrilled.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 2 July 2009 16:24 (4 months ago) Permalink
if that's not enough to utterly demolish a newspaper's credibility, what is?
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 2 July 2009 16:25 (4 months ago) Permalink
washington times in "more respectable dc rag" shockah
― iro with the brown bag (Hunt3r), Thursday, 2 July 2009 16:29 (4 months ago) Permalink
Pissed off (lobbyist?) guy in comments to Klein:
"Get off your holier than thou pulpit man. I hate to break this to you but you are a lobbyist. You are essentially being paid to lobby via this form of media for your various causes. Lobbyists allow people to focus on raising their kids and walking their dogs instead of worrying about the latest political power grab. Newspapers also lobby the Government and perform a similar filtering function for the population at large. So why don't newspapers like lobbyists? Could it be self-interest? Greed? Or more plainly put; they just don't like the competition.
yeah so take that you fake fuckin hippie
― iro with the brown bag (Hunt3r), Thursday, 2 July 2009 16:33 (4 months ago) Permalink
i forgot a close quote there, he dint call him an ffh
― iro with the brown bag (Hunt3r), Thursday, 2 July 2009 16:34 (4 months ago) Permalink
A strategic decision:
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 $250,000."Absolutely, I'm disappointed," Weymouth, the chief executive of Washington Post Media, said in an interview. "This should never have happened. The fliers got out and weren't vetted. They didn't represent at all what we were attempting to do. We're not going to do any dinners that would impugn the integrity of the newsroom."
"Absolutely, I'm disappointed," Weymouth, the chief executive of Washington Post Media, said in an interview. "This should never have happened. The fliers got out and weren't vetted. They didn't represent at all what we were attempting to do. We're not going to do any dinners that would impugn the integrity of the newsroom."
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 2 July 2009 17:22 (4 months ago) Permalink
Lol, a classic "sorry we betrayed our actual intentions so brazenly" apology.
― Garri$on Kilo (Hurting 2), Thursday, 2 July 2009 17:45 (4 months ago) Permalink
And now the ombudsman:
For a storied newspaper that cherishes its reputation for ethical purity, this comes pretty close to a public relations disaster.Politico reported this morning that The Post has been soliciting lobbyists to pay from $25,000 to $250,000 to underwrite off-the-record “salons” at the home of publisher Katharine Weymouth that would provide access to administration and congressional leaders and the paper’s reporters and editors.The story, accurately reported by Politico reporter Mike Allen, is based on a flier being circulated by a new marketing arm of The Post that has been created to host conferences and events.The problem: The Post often decries those who charge for access to public officials. This raised the specter of a money-losing newspaper doing the same thing -- and charging for access to its own reporters and editors as well.Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli says he never saw the flier and would not have approved it. “I had no idea,” he said.The Post scrambled to limit damage and immediately canceled the first scheduled event.Brauchli immediately sent a staff note saying: “We will not participate in events where promises are made that in exchange for money The Post will offer access to newsroom personnel or will refrain from confrontational questioning. Our independence from advertisers or sponsors in inviolable.”Weymouth is out of town.
Politico reported this morning that The Post has been soliciting lobbyists to pay from $25,000 to $250,000 to underwrite off-the-record “salons” at the home of publisher Katharine Weymouth that would provide access to administration and congressional leaders and the paper’s reporters and editors.
The story, accurately reported by Politico reporter Mike Allen, is based on a flier being circulated by a new marketing arm of The Post that has been created to host conferences and events.
The problem: The Post often decries those who charge for access to public officials. This raised the specter of a money-losing newspaper doing the same thing -- and charging for access to its own reporters and editors as well.
Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli says he never saw the flier and would not have approved it. “I had no idea,” he said.
The Post scrambled to limit damage and immediately canceled the first scheduled event.
Brauchli immediately sent a staff note saying: “We will not participate in events where promises are made that in exchange for money The Post will offer access to newsroom personnel or will refrain from confrontational questioning. Our independence from advertisers or sponsors in inviolable.”
Weymouth is out of town.
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 2 July 2009 18:26 (4 months ago) Permalink
i just want to know how many human skulls had been ordered for the wine. well, that and what denomination of bill was being planned for the lighting of the cigars.
― Tracer Hand, Thursday, 2 July 2009 18:43 (4 months ago) Permalink
is it me or is the phrase "a storied newspaper" kinda awkward
― juliette brioche (elmo argonaut), Thursday, 2 July 2009 18:50 (4 months ago) Permalink
adios, 'mouthpiece theater'
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/05/AR2009080502394.html?hpid=moreheadlines
― bodied peanuts (goole), Wednesday, 5 August 2009 19:22 (3 months ago) Permalink
"I don't think the series worked as they intended," Brauchli said. "It was meant to be funny and insightful and translate the superb journalism Chris and Dana do in print and online into a new format."
Spot the deliberate mistake:
"Mouthpiece Theater" was designed as a sendup of pompous punditry, with Milbank, the paper's Washington Sketch columnist, and Cillizza, a White House correspondent who writes The Fix blog
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 5 August 2009 19:23 (3 months ago) Permalink
score one for nico pitney i guess
― bodied peanuts (goole), Wednesday, 5 August 2009 19:24 (3 months ago) Permalink
Cillizza agreed that the plug should be pulled, saying: "We'd hoped the self-deprecating humor of me and the irreverent humor of Dana would combine to make something funny and interesting and on the news. It wound up not working. . . . Ultimately it wasn't funny."
i don't think "ultimately" is the right word there. "initially"'? "thoroughly"? "manifestly"?
― bodied peanuts (goole), Wednesday, 5 August 2009 19:26 (3 months ago) Permalink
'When Mr. Snyder found out about it,' Donovan said, 'he made it clear to me that that was priority number one.'
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 2 September 2009 19:18 (2 months ago) Permalink
Cue Claude Rains shocked to find out about gambling etc.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 2 September 2009 19:19 (2 months ago) Permalink
I do like what this builds up to:
One of the things that gives the Redskins prestige is the team's waiting list, which goes back decades.The general admission waiting list, which famously included Snyder before he bought the team a decade ago, is considered one of the Redskins' most valuable assets. It is held up by the team as a symbol of unwavering demand for Redskins tickets. The team has the highest season ticket-renewal rate in the NFL.Bloggers, fans in online chat rooms and others have often expressed doubt that the list is as long as advertised, especially in recent years, as the team has gone through tough seasons and played only one postseason home game since winning the Super Bowl in 1992. In recent months, numerous people have contacted The Post and said they have been repeatedly solicited to buy Redskins season tickets, even though they did not sign up to be on the waiting list."Redskins are sold out -- in theory," said ASC's Greenberg. "This year, they sent letters to everybody on the lower level to add more tickets to their account. The Redskins have done a great job of keeping that aura that they're sold out."Redskins officials defended the list but acknowledged that some people's names could be on it more than once. They invited a reporter to look at it. Located in a locked storage room, the list is a computer printout that occupies 16 binders kept in banker's boxes.
The general admission waiting list, which famously included Snyder before he bought the team a decade ago, is considered one of the Redskins' most valuable assets. It is held up by the team as a symbol of unwavering demand for Redskins tickets. The team has the highest season ticket-renewal rate in the NFL.
Bloggers, fans in online chat rooms and others have often expressed doubt that the list is as long as advertised, especially in recent years, as the team has gone through tough seasons and played only one postseason home game since winning the Super Bowl in 1992. In recent months, numerous people have contacted The Post and said they have been repeatedly solicited to buy Redskins season tickets, even though they did not sign up to be on the waiting list.
"Redskins are sold out -- in theory," said ASC's Greenberg. "This year, they sent letters to everybody on the lower level to add more tickets to their account. The Redskins have done a great job of keeping that aura that they're sold out."
Redskins officials defended the list but acknowledged that some people's names could be on it more than once. They invited a reporter to look at it. Located in a locked storage room, the list is a computer printout that occupies 16 binders kept in banker's boxes.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 2 September 2009 19:22 (2 months ago) Permalink
i've been thinking about that list since high school.
― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 2 September 2009 19:31 (2 months ago) Permalink
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/21/AR2009102102833.html
― iatee, Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:46 (4 weeks ago) Permalink
Cooper would answer questions only through messages sent to his Facebook account, which features a photo of a man in a striped polo shirt holding a champagne flute.
― a wicked 60s beat poop combo (Pancakes Hackman), Thursday, 22 October 2009 19:26 (4 weeks ago) Permalink
haha i thought of this thread when reading that
― W i l l, Friday, 23 October 2009 03:59 (4 weeks ago) Permalink
Makes me think of a DC thread (I think in the sandbox days) where one Friday all we did was post pictures from Capitol Club events and lol.
― quincie, Friday, 23 October 2009 14:33 (4 weeks ago) Permalink
STYLE SECTION PUNCHUP
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2009/11/02/allen-v-roig-franzia-from-the-beginning/
― goole, Tuesday, 3 November 2009 19:13 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
Eyewitness reports from a coughstucker!
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 5 November 2009 15:34 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
In the K Street corridor, a host of upscale clubs and lounges, such as Lima and Josephine, have opened up in the past few years. They cater to this demographic, with lines spilling into the street and lending downtown Washington a spring break-like atmosphere after business hours. Shadow Room, where customers can order a drink on their iPhone from the dance floor, is a particular favorite of the young rich from the outer fringes because it sits at 21st and K streets with easy access to Interstate 66.
The District had been thought of as conservative and stuffy, Lund said, but a host of young entrepreneurs, Obama administration staffers and ex-Wall Street types imported to help fix the financial system have kicked the city's energy "into hyper-drive."
One recent Friday evening, Shah and one of his business partners, Rajeev Subramanian, 28, hosted a bustling party at Josephine, where one of their young Montgomery County clients spent more than $2,000 at a reserve table, quaffing Dom Perignon and Cristal champagne.
About 3 a.m., they climbed into their cars for the wearying 45-minute drive back to Ashburn, where they share a townhouse decorated in bachelor-pad style, with an L-shaped couch and big-screen TVs.
Life in the suburbs can be isolating, Shah said. They don't know their neighbors.
But Shah, who also lives and works part of the week in Richmond, said he wouldn't have it any other way.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/06/AR2009110604170_pf.html
― W i l l, Saturday, 7 November 2009 16:54 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
"Shadow Room, where customers can order a drink on their iPhone from the dance floor, is a particular favorite of the young rich from the outer fringes because it sits at 21st and K streets with easy access to Interstate 66"
A mildly disconcerting juxtaposition of facts.
― Bay-L.A. Bar Talk (Hurting 2), Saturday, 7 November 2009 17:13 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
comments are a treat, of course"I live in DC and would party solo at the Red Robin in Manassas before hanging with those clowns."
― barack ochocinco (daria-g), Saturday, 7 November 2009 17:58 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
(xp) ^ haha yeah also I'm going to call BS on that claim entirely - Shadow Room is popular w/ that crowd because it was founded by outer fringe tech riche, not because it's 7 blocks closer out of a 30-mile drive.
― I DIED, Saturday, 7 November 2009 18:03 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
Also can I point out that this is an actual photo from the actual article and not just a stock image they found with an unkind keyword search.
― I DIED, Saturday, 7 November 2009 18:13 (2 weeks ago) Permalink