'Washington Post' Ombud Writing 'Expanded Column' for Sunday About 'Salon' Debacle

By: Joe Strupp Expect a longer-than-usual column Sunday from Ombudsman Andy Alexander of The Washington Post. He plans to take on the recent debacle over plans to charge guests to attend so-called "salons" with Post journalists and D.C. officials.

After the plan was exposed last week, the Post went into damage-control mode, with Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli maintaining the newsroom was never part of the plan and Publisher Katharine Weymouth apologizing to readers last Sunday in print.

Alexander has weighed in twice so far on his blog, with criticisms that included calling the idea "a public relations disaster." But he has yet to comment in his Sunday column space.

"It is obviously a huge issue for the Post," he told E&P Thursday. "I will have an expanded column on it Sunday. I will need more space. It is not an opus, but more than I normally write."

Alexander declined to elaborate on what his opinion in the Sunday piece will be. But if his two blog items are any indication, expect a blast at his employers.

In a posting on July 2, he stated: "The Post often decries those who charge for access to public officials. This raised the specter of a money-losing newspaper doing the same thing -- and charging for access to its own reporters and editors as well."

On Monday, he added on the blog: "There should be a top-to-bottom review of standards with new safeguards implemented to prevent a recurrence. And if heads should roll, it shouldn't matter where they are on the management chart."

Alexander said the issue has not sparked more feedback than other issues he has written about since becoming ombudsman in February. But he noted loyal readers seemed most upset: "I have had a large number of longtime readers of the Post who feel very disappointed in the paper."

He said his column last Sunday did not address the issue because he had little time to prepare a complete report: "It had to do with holiday early page closings and addressing it in a meaningful way."

Alexander added that he had not even written the column yet, continuing to report on the issue: "I approach it as an independent reporter. People have been fairly open with me here since I started."