What was the Washington Post thinking? The paper recently decided that it would host intimate dinners with lobbyists, politicians and its own reporters and editors at the chi-chi home of publisher Lally Weymouth.

The catch? The lobbyists had to pay to be there. The Post was selling access.

When word got out, Weymouth canceled the deal, and a flunkie took the blame.

Other news organizations do things that are sort of similar—conferences, basically—but those feel qualitatively different than a small dinner at the publisher’s house.

In any case, here’s an interesting tidbit [emphasis added] from the article:

In March, the Wall Street Journal brought together global finance leaders — including Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd — for a two-day conference sponsored by Nasdaq and hosted by Robert Thomson, the Journal’s top editor, and other editors and reporters. Outside journalists were invited to the session, which was on the record and webcast by the Journal. Participants, who paid several thousand dollars to attend, also had a White House meeting with economic adviser Lawrence Summers, which was off the record at his request.

This is troublesome—the part pertaining to Larry Summers, that is.

I don’t see any problem with the Wall Street Journal hosting a conference, or with government officials appearing at it, as long as they’re not making anything off it.

But to sell a private meeting with Larry Summers? That’s not appropriate. It’s influence-buying—and selling—pure and simple. Selling a White House meeting is only barely different from renting out the Lincoln bedroom.

It’s things like this, and the millions he made from Wall Street banks, that worry me about having Summers in government.  The man does not give a damn about ethics. His arrogance supercedes any idea of appropriate behavior: He thinks the rules don’t apply to him. I would not be surprised if some similar behavior gets Summers in real trouble at some point—but only after the taxpayers pay a price.

(And for what it’s worth, the Journal shouldn’t participate in such an arrangement either: It leaves the paper feeling indebted to Summers, which will certainly affect its coverage of him, which Summers well knows.)

By the way, the White House published a list of staff salaries. (Good for Obama! The Clinton White House didn’t do this, and the Bush White House? Not a chance.)

Summers is making $172,000.