Editing The Washington Post (section)

=== Private "salon" solicitation ===
In July 2009, in the midst of an intense debate over [[Health care reforms proposed during the Obama administration|health care reform]], ''[[Politico]]'' reported that a health-care lobbyist had received an "astonishing" offer of access to the ''Post's'' "health-care reporting and editorial staff".<ref>Michael Calderone and Mike Allen (July 2, 2009), [https://www.politico.com/story/2009/07/wapo-cancels-lobbyist-event-024441? "WaPo cancels lobbyist event"], ''Politico''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011214548/https://www.politico.com/story/2009/07/wapo-cancels-lobbyist-event-024441 |date=October 11, 2018 }}.</ref> ''Post'' publisher [[Katharine Weymouth]] had planned a series of exclusive dinner parties or "salons" at her private residence, to which she had invited prominent lobbyists, trade group members, politicians, and business people.<ref name="nytimes.com">Richard Pérez-Peña (July 2, 2009), [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/business/media/03post.html "Pay-for-Chat Plan Falls Flat at Washington Post"], ''The New York Times'': "Postscript: Oct. 17, 2009 . . . Mr. [[Marcus W. Brauchli|Brauchli]] now says that he did indeed know that the dinners were being promoted as "off the record," . . . " {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903051439/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/business/media/03post.html |date=September 3, 2018 }}.</ref> Participants were to be charged $25,000 to sponsor a single salon, and $250,000 for 11 sessions, with the events being closed to the public and to the non-''Post'' press.<ref name=NageshAtlantic>Gautham Nagesh (July 2, 2009) [https://www.theatlantic.com/personal/archive/2009/07/wapo-salons-sell-access-to-lobbyists/20535/ "WaPo Salons Sell Access to Lobbyists"], ''The Atlantic''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011214904/https://www.theatlantic.com/personal/archive/2009/07/wapo-salons-sell-access-to-lobbyists/20535/ |date=October 11, 2018 }}.</ref> ''Politico''{{'}}s revelation gained a somewhat mixed response in Washington<ref>{{cite news |url-status=dead |first1=Ezra |last1=Klein |date=July 6, 2009 |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/07/can_the_washington_post_salons.html |title=Can The Washington Post Salons Be a Good Thing? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018051935/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/07/can_the_washington_post_salons.html |archive-date=October 18, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post |quote=The Washington Post really shouldn't need [[lobbyists]] for the health-care industry to act as our [[ombudsmen]].}}</ref><ref>Dan Kennedy (July 8, 2009), [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/jul/08/washington-post-weymouth-salon "Selling out the Washington Post"], ''The Guardian'': "Perhaps the most shocking thing about Washington Post publisher [[Katharine Weymouth]]'s misbegotten plan to sell access to her journalists at off-the-record dinners in her own home is that so many found it so shocking." {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009063911/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/jul/08/washington-post-weymouth-salon |date=October 9, 2021 }}.</ref><ref>Dan Kennedy (October 20, 2009), [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/oct/20/marcus-brauchli-washington-post-salons "Truth, lies and the Washington Post"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024133233/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/oct/20/marcus-brauchli-washington-post-salons |date=October 24, 2021 }}, ''The Guardian'':
"If only we'd known that Washington Post executive editor [[Marcus Brauchli]] was talking about the '[[Chatham House Rule|Chatham House rule]]' last summer when he was explaining what he knew about those now-infamous salons."</ref> as it gave the impression that the parties' sole purpose was to allow insiders to purchase face time with ''Post'' staff.

Almost immediately following the disclosure, Weymouth canceled the salons, saying, "This should never have happened." White House counsel [[Gregory B. Craig]] reminded officials that under [[Honest Leadership and Open Government Act|federal ethics rules]], they need advance approval for such events. ''Post'' Executive Editor [[Marcus Brauchli]], who was named on the flier as one of the salon's "Hosts and Discussion Leaders", said he was "appalled" by the plan, adding, "It suggests that access to ''Washington Post'' journalists was available for purchase."<ref name=KurtzPost>Howard Kurtz (July 3, 2009), [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/02/AR2009070201563.html?hpid=topnews "Washington Post Publisher Cancels Planned Policy Dinners After Outcry"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170102075901/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/02/AR2009070201563.html?hpid=topnews |date=January 2, 2017 }}, ''The Washington Post''</ref><ref name="nytimes.com" />