India Uncut
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Monday, April 10, 2006
Commercialising editorial space
The Daily News reports:
(DN link via Fine On Media.)
A New York Post Page Six staffer solicited $220,000 from a high-profile billionaire in return for a year's "protection" against inaccurate and unflattering items about him in the gossip page, the Daily News has learned.Yes, outrageous, and I'm delighted that the gentleman is question faces public disgrace. Many in the Times of India, of course, would be wondering what the fuss is all about -- after all, they sold the sanctity of editorial space ages ago.
In two 90-minute meetings, characterized by a shocking breach of ethics, Jared Paul Stern, a fixture on the city's gossip scene who also edited Page Six The Magazine, asked for a series of payments from Ron Burkle, the managing partner of Yucaipa Cos., a conglomerate with interests in supermarkets, celebrity clothing lines, and media.
It was all a setup, a sting monitored by law enforcement, including the U.S. attorney's office and the FBI, who are now investigating the extortion attempt.
(DN link via Fine On Media.)
