Checkbook Journalism: How The Media Became PART Of The Anthony Weiner Story

As I said re: the media's role in playing the Weiner story out of all proportionality: Take a look in the mirror before piously deflecting your responsibility for Anthony Weiner's resignation. Chris Cuomo defends his employer ABC's practice of paying "licensing fees" of between $10,000 to $15,000 for tittilating photos of one of former Rep. Weiner's private online correspondents because, he says piously, it's the "state of play." Really?

Thanks for the heads-up, Chris. But we're way ahead of you. We already know your industry is rotten to the core, unethical, fundamentally corrupt and dishonorable. Licensing fees?!? Is THAT what you call IT? The mutually beneficial term of "art" for pole dancing checkbook "journalists" is MEDIA WHORES, and it's been around for quite a while. Here's the Urban Dictionary definition:

MEDIA WHORES

Media whores is a term used in the early 60's during campaigns and refered to publishers and editors of newspapers that would not cover a candidate without an ad buy. The buy was refered to as a "little kiss". The more money a candidate had the more of a story they would get from the "media whores". If a campaign made an ad buy and counted on a good story but were then disappointed they would "kiss off" the buy with a cancelation.

When the MEDIA becomes part of the story with 'pay to play' arrangements with principals and sources, the MEDIA assumes responsibility for the story's final outcome. No wonder an MSNBC news reader told Karen Finney to be "nice" to Andrew Breitbart.