Payola Six: On the Matter of Junkets
Yesterday we pointed out a Daily News article about Page Six grizzly bear Chris Wilson, who last June went on a lavish junket in Napa, courtesy of Jaguar. While those still unfamiliar with the inner-workings of a gossip column may shake their heads and cluck their tongues, working gossips know that this sort of shit happens more frequently than anyone would care to admit. If we're going to note that Chris Wilson had a cost-free luxury weekend, it's only fair to mention that the gossips at the Daily News do the same thing. A quick search on Patrick McMullen's website reveals George Rush at a junket on Canouan Island, just south of St. Vincent and the Grenadines; his reporter Jo Piazza took a junket to Turkey (of course, Page Six's Fernando Gil was also there). Naturally, the Daily News didn't have to shell out much of anything for either trip.
But there's a difference here. Rush went to Canouan Island at least under the guise of covering a hotel opening and golf outing. Piazza went to Turkey nominally to cover a fashion show. Was there even any excuse for Wilson's Napa trip, other than just because he could? We know everyone's a bit guilty of enjoying the perks of their jobs, but this goes beyond stealing Post-It notes.