WaPo Salon Scandal: Editors, Lawmakers Deny Knowledge

The revelation that the Washington Post had planned to hold corporate-sponsored "salons" with public officials at publisher Katharine Weymouth's house continues to have repercussions in media and political circles. The White House issued an ethics reminder to staff, while lawmakers and Post editors have tried to distance themselves from the event.

White House counsel Greg Craig reminded administration staffers that they operate under strict ethical guidelines.

The memo from Craig to White House officials said White House officials are required to seek approval before attending events sponsored by a non-government entity.

"As we have advised in a previous memo (see attached), federal ethics rules restricting the acceptance of gifts govern your ability to accept free admission to events put on by a non-governmental sponsor," Craig wrote.

Editorial staff at the Post said they were unaware of the business proposal, and lawmakers have said that they did not know the dinners would raise money for the paper.

Weymouth issued a staff note saying that the flier had been prepared by the paper's marketing department and "was never vetted by me or by the newsroom." Had it been, she said, it "would have been immediately killed, because it completely misrepresented what we were trying to do."

But emails inviting politicians to the salons came directly from Weymouth's office, and the flier advertising the events explicitly stated the cost for sponsors.

Lawmakers who had been invited said they were not told the events would make money for the newspaper. But the Post had separately sent fliers seeking sponsors who would pay $25,000 for a single "salon" or $250,000 for 11 events.

Rep. Jim Cooper's office said the Tennessee Democrat received an invitation this week to attend a dinner on July 21 at the house of Post Publisher Katharine Weymouth. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, a Maine Republican, was also among those asked to attend.

In both cases, the invitations came as personal e-mails from Weymouth's office.

The Post also described the flier as a "draft," but their own ombudsman pointed out that this draft was "printed in full color on glossy paper, which was distributed to potential underwriters for a gathering on health care."

Comments

[research]

Of course. America is a Plutocracy, more than ever before with the banker 7 trillion bailout. The conservative corporatist DLC "democrats" are in control, the plutocracy is safe. Dean and Kucinich have been ridicules and marginalized. Sweet dreams come true for every wanna be robber baron. Soon we will all be their serf, willing to do anything to survive.

Kucinich.Dean 2012!

[terragazelle60]

Why not sudy some history...it was NOT a 7 trillion dollar bail out...and when the last Great Depression hit 10,000 banks failed and unemployment hit nationwide 25%...some areas were at 80%. So we have someone trying to stem the mess before it gets so bad...and what happens? People are ignorant of history. Why not find out what caused the last bad depression and see the connection to what is happening now. It was not banks it was wall street, now and then and deregulation...go back to 1999 and phil graham and the others who fought for a repeal of the regulations that was created to protect us from financial meltdowns again. Nether Dean nor Kucinich would have kept this from happening...it was the Republican philosophy, just like Hoover in 1929 that did it, not the DLC. We have Obama in 2009 trying to fix that mess just like Roosevelt did.

[research]

Oh yeah, thanks it was 14 trillion:

http://dailybail.com/home/bailout-by-the-numbers-total-fed-committments-now-total-139.html

[garymc8]

America has been bought and sold to the SLIMIEST bidder. Thanks GOP

[Tkevan]

Right. Because WAPO is such a right wing rag. ROFLMAO.

[maxfax]

A corporate media and money? Omigosh, I'm shocked, shocked I say. LOL

[MikeRdg]

not shocked either

[JFD8]

An exclusive salon at The Post!
Circulate with the publisher-host
And the powers that be
If you'll pay a huge fee
(And if word ever leaks this is toast!)

News Short n' Sweet by JFD8
http://twitter.com/JFD8

[dynwitch]

Finally, corporate-sponsored news comes out in the often. But it's like trying to save a drowning man by pouring water on him. Apparently no one got the memo that the water was the problem, not the solution.

[saxmaniac]

Understand -- the "office of publisher" is always the "sales" arm of any publishing enterprise, leading the advertising, marketing and "business" side of the house. Newsrooms. editorial de[artments and other"content providers" are rarely, if ever, consulted about this side. They're merely told to show up at the boss' event and try to act pleasant ( difficult for many editorial people). Perhasp if the publisher shared the money, editors would be easier to deal with.