Via Melinda Henneberger at Politcs Daily, a disturbing report from Politico about the Washington Post‘s latest fundraising plan, apparently cooked up by CEO and publisher Katherine Weymouth:

For $25,000 to $250,000, The Washington Post has offered lobbyists and association executives off-the-record, nonconfrontational access to “those powerful few”: Obama administration officials, members of Congress, and — at first — even the paper’s own reporters and editors.

The astonishing offer was detailed in a flier circulated Wednesday to a health care lobbyist, who provided it to a reporter because the lobbyist said he felt it was a conflict for the paper to charge for access to, as the flier says, its “health care reporting and editorial staff.”

(“Obama administration officials” had never heard of the scheme.) Once word got out, the newsroom wasn’t having any of it. Melinda has the memo sent to Post employees by Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli, which reads in part:

We will not participate in events where promises are made that in exchange for money The Post will offer access to newsroom personnel or will refrain from confrontational questioning. Our independence from advertisers or sponsors is inviolable.

There is a long tradition of news organizations hosting conferences and events, and we believe The Post, including the newsroom, can do these things in ways that are consistent with our values.

Since Politico ran the story, Weymouth has canceled the event(s). We’ll see if that’s enough to save her job.

The Trib reports:

As legislators weigh impeaching Gov. Rod Blagojevich and federal prosecutors prepare to indict him on corruption charges, his acting chief of staff and a deputy governor will be keynote speakers Wednesday at an “Ethics in the Workplace” seminar for some 200 state employees.