by RUSSELL MOKHIBER
Since 2010, The Washington Post has sponsored something called Washington Post Live. The Post calls it a “live journalism platform.”
About once a month, Post Live holds an event and invites “top level government and business leaders, emerging voices and newsmakers” to discuss “the most pressing national and global issues of the day.”
The Post “directs all editorial content including speakers, topics and moderators.”
“Our programs are an extension of our journalism, and offer a balanced viewpoint and a diversity of speakers,” the Post says. “The conversations are on-the record, open to all media and have multiple sponsors.
Post Live may have multiple sponsors, but the lead sponsor is Bank of America.
Up until yesterday, the Bank of America logo appeared in the upper right hand corner of the Washington Post Live home page.
Yesterday, after the Post started getting questions about Bank of America’s relationship to the Post Live, the Bank of America logo was taken down.
The Post refused to reveal how much Bank of America paid for its prime sponsorship or what it got in return – other than the logo on the front of its web site.
Post spokesperson Kris Coratti Kelly told Corporate Crime Reporter that “sponsors of events do not have any say in the topic.”
But one thing that Bank of America does get is a chance to open the Post Live events.
For example, the December 16, 2016 Post Live event – a conversation between Post political reporter James Hohmann and Newt Gingrich – was opened by Bank of America’s Tony Allen.
“We are very proud to continue our partnership with the Washington Post,” Allen said. “We are incredibly fortunate to be part of this partnership and believe the opportunity to support this meaningful dialogue about our country’s path forward and the responsibility we have to ensuring its future is critical to the health of our country.”
Allen gave a 90 second pitch about how great a company Bank of America is, including – “Bank of America employs about 200,000 people, 52 percent of whom are women, 40 percent of whom are people of color.”
Corporate Crime Reporter for more
via Z Communications