Today Washington Post Publisher Katharine Weymouth cancelled plans for a series of private salons-for-hire at her posh home where lobbyists paying six-figure fees were to have access to WaPo reporters, members of Congress and officials in the Obama administration.
“We are sluts, not whores,” Weymouth said indignantly. “There’s a difference! We do not charge for our journalistic integrity. We gave that away for free years ago. There’s nothing we wouldn’t do to protect Pres. Obama and the Democratic Congress totally for free. We also are happy to destroy their enemies purely as a labor of love. I am outraged that anyone could think we would put a price on those services. When we sell out our readers, we get absolutely nothing in return!”
H/T Michelle Malkin lead story for July 2, 2009: “Washington Post Laughingstocks and Let’s Make a Deal.”
Ed Morrissey at Hot Air follows the story through its twists and turns today here. Turns out the Washington Post is losing money and its business/marketing division doesn’t read its own product often enough to know the definition of “influence peddling.”
Update, 7/07/09: Iowahawk has the latest scoop on the “Washington Chrome Post” and “hot media-on-administration action.”
