Article Marketing – Newspaper Apologizes for Seeming to Sell Access – New York Times

The publisher of The Washington Post apologized to the paper’s readers on Sunday after a controversy erupted over the company’s plans to organize sponsored meetings that would include Washington lobbyists, government officials and the paper’s own journalists. The Post canceled the first of what it billed as exclusive “salons” at the home of the publisher, Katharine Weymouth , after critics accused the paper of seeking to profit from its access to members of Congress and administration officials. Weymouth, in a letter to readers that appeared on the opinion page Sunday, wrote that “firm parameters” had not been followed in planning the events. She added that if The Post were to hold any such event, “everything would be at arm’s length — sponsors would have no control over the content of the discussions, and no special access to our journalists. Pelton, a marketing executive and former journalist who was hired to oversee the paper’s new events business, could not be reached for comment on Sunday. Weymouth, in her letter, said The Post might still organize small events in the future but that strict guidelines would be followed, including that the events would be “on the record. read more

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