The Lobbyist and the Media

[SOURCE: Miami Herald, AUTHOR: Edward Wasserman edward_wasserman@hotmail.com]
[Commentary] Beneath the glare of high-stakes political corruption, the unfolding scandal of former lobbyist and current felon Jack Abramoff has a media angle too, which involves his low-light stable of secretly paid commentators. Media coverage, predictably, has focused almost exclusively on the writers who accepted Abramoff's money. But what about the newspapers that accepted their work? Do editors really believe that the $200 they pay for that sophisticated column defending the health-insurance industry actually covers the cost of the work the column required? Of course not. But it's, ''Don't ask, don't tell.'' They say nothing, because their work depends on this payola. But even with disclosure, the picture will be murky. If mainstream journalism and commentary become the work of professional wordsmiths who are perpetually on the hustle, the challenge to ethical journalism will be severe. The future of a practice that's dedicated, however imperfectly, to truth-seeking in the public interest and that tries to stay free of undisclosed personal entanglements and conflicts will be far from sure.
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/13581275.htm