Weymouth said the flier wasn’t approved by her or the paper’s editors and it didn’t accurately describe the plan for the small gatherings.
The flier advertised a “Washington Post salon’’ on healthcare reform at Weymouth’s home on July 21. The gathering would include 20 or fewer guests, including Obama administration officials, members of Congress, business leaders, and lobbyists.
According to the flier, each of 11 salons would have one or two sponsors who would pay $25,000 to underwrite the event and invite guests.
The flier said participants were offered a chance to “build crucial relationships with Washington Post news executives in a neutral and informal setting.’’ It called the healthcare salon an “off-the-record conversation.’’
Weymouth’s letter said the paper was planning dinners but including “firm parameters’’ that gave sponsors no control over content and no special access to its journalists. Reporters wouldn’t be restricted from asking questions, she said. “If the events were to be sponsored by other companies, everything would be at arm’s length,’’ she wrote.
She said the July 21 dinner was hastily planned and a marketing employee sent the flier without approval.
Critics of the program say the newspaper’s promise of exclusivity for Washington insiders is at odds with the newspaper’s mission to its readers.
Executive editor Marcus Brauchli said the small-scale dinners were a mistake.
“I think there is a legitimate debate right now about whether we should be doing this at all. We thought there was a way to do so consistent with our journalistic values, but in light of this experience, it is clear that this was a mistake,’’ he said.
