Pay Per Spew

By: Brian Montopoli
Topics: Media Issues

(AP Photo)

"We don't want there to be confusion on this overall policy: that we don't pay for interviews."

--Bill Wheatley, vice president of NBC News, speaking to the New York Times in 2003.

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"NBC has agreed to pay as much as $1 million for Paris Hilton's first after-jail interview, which will appear on the 'Today' show."

--New York Post, today. NBC did not return the Post's call for comment and Hilton's rep said he "can't confirm or deny" the report.

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"Whatever happened to the pretense that the networks don't pay for interviews? Have we just left that behind entirely?"

--New York 1 anchor Pat Kiernan, commenting on the Post story this morning.

Brian Montopoli
Brian Montopoli is the senior political reporter at CBSNews.com.
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by ronmwanga June 23, 2007 2:44 AM EDT: Today Show =NBC's prestigous News div, not ABC; Reply to this comment


by ronmwanga June 22, 2007 2:38 AM EDT: The "Today" show has done this quite a bit. I ask the question: Is the Today show a part of ABC's prestigous News division, or is it just Entertainment. if it is Entertainment, then i hold it to the same standards as, say, The Insider. If it is News -- as they keep telling us it is -- then why don't they start behaving like it and: 1) stop LYING, when they tell us they don't pay for interviews when they *** well do, and 2) Stop doing it, because it is not what reputable news organizations do!; Reply to this comment