How The MSM Rolls …

We hear frequently from our friends in the mainstream media about journalistic “ethics,” “standards” and “credibility,’ the obvious insinuation being that they are in possession of these lofty-sounding attributes while new media outlets (like this one) are not.

Of course, the problem with that self-serving delineation is that MSM outlets push their agendas every bit as overtly as we do – we just put an “unfair, imbalanced” tag on our coverage instead of hiding behind some fake, hypocritical “standard” of objectivity.

Now, with The Washington Post at the center of a media sh*t storm for essentially trying to sell access to its reporters (for up to $250,000), the integrity of the old Fourth Estate is taking another beating.

In case you missed it, the Post tried to sell tickets to exclusive “Washington Post salons” at the home of its publisher, salons that would feature editors and reporters from the paper as well as Obama administration officials and members of Congress.

Here’s an excerpt from an excellent column on the subject by Jonah Goldberg at The Los Angeles Times:

… here’s the thing — what the Post proposed is hardly radical. Lots of major publications — and by lots, I mean pretty much all of them — offer a wide array of meet-and-greet opportunities. The Atlantic, which has been tsk-tsking the Post, is famous for such lavish get-togethers, as are the Wall Street Journal and the Economist. I’ve been to 10 national political conventions and long ago concluded that they are giant money-laundering operations whereby corporations funnel money through news organizations for maximum schmoozability.

Now, the ethical rules governing such events vary widely and, to my knowledge, none have been as crass and brazen as what the Post proposed. But these shocked media outlets are acting like erotic masseuses scandalized by the whorehouse next door.

“You cannot buy access to a Washington Post journalist,” insisted Marcus Brauchli, the Post’s executive editor. Really? As a close observer, I say balderdash. You may not be able to pay cash or make out a check to the Washington Post Co., but getting access to journalists is pretty easy. They make it hard to buy them lunch — the fastest access in the old days — but a party with an open bar still works.

The New York Times – no stranger to lapses in journalistic ethics – has an interesting column on the whole mess as well, chronicling how Post publisher Katharine Weymouth tried to blame the whole mess on an overzealous marketing executive, apparently forgetting that several of these influence-peddling solicitations (including one to a U.S. Senator) came from her personal email address.

Oh, and who broke this scandal wide open?

A new media outlet, The Politico.