Scandal at the Washington Post

When a lobbyist schools the Washington Post on ethics, you know the media's in trouble. After Politico reported Thursday morning that the newspaper was selling face time with its elite sources—Obama administration officials, members of Congress—as well as its own reporters and editors, for $25,000 to $250,000, the newspaper has reversed its plans and cancelled the event. An appalled health care lobbyist leaked the flyer advertising the pay-for-access scheme to Politico because he felt it was unethical for a paper to charge money for access to its health care reporting and editorial staff. “This should never have happened,” publisher and CEO Katharine Weymouth said. "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."