ABC paid Weiner's snitch $10,000!

[grasswire]

http://boston.com/community/blogs/culture_club/2011/06/rep_weiner_and_the_media.html?p1=Upbox_links

During this week's coverage of the Anthony Weiner scandal, we saw an almost-complete absence of news-gathering protocol - including, most disturbingly, the use of checkbook journalism.

At ABC, Chris Cuomo "licensed" a series of photographs from Meagan Broussard, a 26-year-old Texan with whom Weiner corresponded. The photos cost ABC between $10,000 and $15,000 - according to mediabistro - and Cuomo landed a sit-down interview with Broussard.

The interview was insipid - Broussard wrote on Weiner's Facebook page that a speech was "hottttt," and Cuomo asked "Now, what does that mean?" - but the real take-away was that ABC had essentially paid Broussard for her time. It was a tabloid approach - dangerous, because, when you pay for news, you're inclined to hear exactly what you want to hear.

[HopeHoops]

1. Damn! - They out-bid FOX Noise?

[democrat_patriot]

10. The RNC powers that be had to have ABC or another break the story

otherwise it's a Fox news slanted story which loses some credibility with the mainstream.

She probably approached Fox, and they sent her elsewhere.

[HopeHoops]

11. How could anything have less credibility than FOX?

:shrug:

[fascisthunter]

2. important and eye-opening

[PeaceNikki]

3. lol, there are 5 more "snitches"

He wasn't super careful.

[cbdo2007]

9. Haha, with that payout I'm sure more will come out of the woodwork.

[Capitalocracy]

14. Yeah, maybe I should do it too

I could use the money... those Koch fiends pay well!

[hlthe2b]

4. This is really a horrendous precedent...

Opens the flood gates to blackmail and extortion...

[rucky]

7. The mainstream media's been paying for stories/photos/videos for years.

My job 15 years ago was to find stories for them.

[nykym]

5. Anyone look for

a connection between BigGovernment aka Briebart and Broussard. If the photos were bought then all involved deserve a little mud!

[MineralMan]

6. Lesson: If someone waves a bundle of $100 bills in front of

someone who has sexted with you online and you're outed. It's that simple. These are not sacred relationships to begin with.

[aquart]

8. I wondered why she looked so smug.

$10,000 would do it for me. Wonder who did her negotiating? Because that girl looked nothing if not smooth and professional. I expect to see her on The Bachelor. Except that I don't watch The Bachelor.

[lumpy]

12. Ms. Broussard and the rest of the media sex whores should

be very proud of themselves for proving to the world they are money grubbing sows. They are certainly no better than Weiner.

[PeaceNikki]

13. Nor any worse.

[EFerrari]

18. Of course it is. Lying to try to keep your private life private.

is nothing like prostituting your private life for personal gain.

[PeaceNikki]

21. Uh, he prostituted his public life for private gain... worse in my eyes.

He didn't create an anonymous account to get his rocks off. He didn't TRY to be careful and discreet. No, in fact, he sent pics with his face, his name, photos of his family in the background with this gross egotistical "LOOKIT ME, I'M ANTHONY WEINER, HERE'S MY WEINER!!" shit. To anonymous people. Coulda been Breitbart, Chris Hanson, a minor.

[Hell-A Liberal]

22. +1 ...n/t.

[EFerrari]

25. That isn't prostitution.

It may be living his own private life in a way you don't like but it's not prostitution. Good grief.

[PeaceNikki]

27. lol, it's not "private" when you Tweet it

Good grief, indeed.

[BuelahWitch]

16. He should have thought about this before he did the deed

Times are tough, and $10,000 would be hard to turn down.

[lumpy]

23. It is hard for a prostitute to turn down $10,000. Now this woman

of integrity can put away the bucks for her kids college fund.

[BuelahWitch]

26. How do you know she's a prostitute?

:wtf: Let me get this straight. His integrity does not come into question for sending genuine Weiner Wang (tm) to strange women, but hers does for selling the pictures? Bullshit1

[FBaggins]

15. Doesn't the photographer retain licensing rights?

I'm just saying... Weiner may have a course of action. :)

[cottonseed]

17. He should have watermarked his photos Weiner.

[FBaggins]

20. Shouldn't be necessary

If you take a photo AND you're the subject of the photo, then I can't imagine who can sell rights to it other than you.

If you send it to someone else they can use it and even share it... but not sell rights to it.

[sabrina 1]

19. Disgusting. Now, will the pay someone to uncover the

funders behind the Breitbart filthy tricks operation who are out to 'destroy all democrats' and who generally don't need any facts, see ACORN, a story the media never covered, and Shirley Sherrod, to do it?

The more I think about this, the more I wonder if this country needs to grow up and simply accept the fact that people like sex and stop heading for the couch, clutching their pearls each time they find out about another human being engaging in sexual activiity.

[Blue Owl]

24. We got the best government money can buy...

Why not have the best 'objective journalism' money can buy?