Washington Post has competition in the full-ad-news-organization biz from The Atlantic

I guess I’m a bit late getting to this one after my bitchy/sarcastic post about The Washington Post’s for-pay brainstorming sessions (see said bitchy/sarcastic post here).

Apparently, The Atlantic Monthly (I will never feel comfortable calling it The Atlantic.  I think the body of water had the name first, so should get dibs) has a long history of such influence-peddling sessions of their own, according to Talking Points Memo.  It seems like The Washington Post hasn’t broken a story or even made a meaningful news innovation since Watergate…  Key snippet will follow, but please read the entire article.  It’s not long and touches on some of the broader reasons why these ’salons’ are held and how some journalistic integrity is maintained by The Atlantic Monthly and others:

“These aren’t one-off events, by a long shot. The Atlantic has held approximately 100 of them since 2003, according to Zachary Hooper, a spokesman for the magazine.

And they’re by and large initiated by the corporation that pays for them, according to Hooper. “The corporate sponsor” — with whom the magazine generally has a longstanding business relationship — “comes to us and says, ‘We’re interested in having a discussion on a certain topic.’” The magazine’s business staff, said Hooper, takes things from there.“

TPM was nice enough to link to a copy of the flyer so you can see what those wishing to purchase advertising time within a respected journal’s editorial get to see.  Former Massachusetts governor and one-time Presidential nominee Michael Dukakis is listed among the past attendees.  They make no mention if tank rides were included.

… and the cow goes moo