As the Firewall Crumbles

From time to time the editors at the Washington Post push out an opinion that doesn’t quite pass its own smell test.

As a business, the Washington Post Company owns properties that extend well beyond the newspaper itself. As a prominent newspaper, the Post claims to have built a firewall that protects its editors and their decision making from the interests of this larger entity.

But on occasion these interests ram up against the public’s right to know – and the editors' stated obligation to serve that right. And the results aren’t pretty.

September 28, 2009:

In print: The Washington Post editorial board complains that the FCC's push for Net Neutrality protections is "heavy handed" and “unneeded.”

The back story: The Washington Post Company owns Cable One, a cable and Internet firm active in 19 states which stands to benefit financially by breaking Net Neutrality and discriminating in favor of some online content and against other. The Post editorial fails to mention this conflict of interest.

The Post ombudsman: No comment.

August 22, 2010:

In print: The Washington Post editorial board opposes new rules on for-profit universities proposed by the Department of Education, writing that these rules "make no sense."

The back story: The Washington Post Company owns Kaplan Inc., Kaplan University and other for-profit schools of higher education that would benefit financially from fewer regulations of their “industry.”

The Post ombudsman: No comment.

October 25, 2010:

In print: The Washington Post editorial board writes that the merger of Comcast and NBC “should be allowed to proceed” and that regulators should “be skeptical of the critics' claims” that the deal represents higher prices, fewer choices and less access for consumers.

The back story: The Washington Post Company not only owns Cable One, but also six television stations, a long list of print publications, plus Slate.com, Foreign Policy and other online sites. The proposed Comcast-NBC merger could serve as a model for the Post Company’s future growth as a conglomerated media interest. While the editorial discloses the company’s ownership of Cable One, it failed to disclose how greatly its aggregated interests influence the Post’s position on this issue.

The Post ombudsman: No comment.