Policies forbidding payment for news interviews grow blurry as outlets vie for access, photos
By David Bauder, APSunday, January 3, 2010
Networks blur policy of not paying for interviews
NEW YORK — Policies forbidding payment for news interviews increasingly seem like the network television equivalent of the 55 mph speed limit: a rule often winked at unless you’re heading into a speed trap.
In the past month, several accidental celebrities have either sought or received goodies from TV networks eager to hear their stories.
Jasper Schuringa gave interviews to outlets that bought photos he’d taken of a man who authorities say tried to use explosives to take down a Detroit-bound plane. The White House party-crashers reportedly sought six-figure bids from networks to tell their story.
Policies against paying for interviews are in place to avoid distorting the news. The concern is that news subjects will change their stories to make them more valuable or please those who paid them.
