After South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s bizarre disappearance to Argentina and confession of an affair, you’d think he hadn’t a friend in the world. You’d be wrong. Behind the scenes, journalists, eager to land a big interview get, reached out to feel his pain.
The State newspaper, which had been leading Sanford coverage from the get-go, has a trove of e-mails from media outlets seeking to talk to Sanford or simply to come to his defense. And it’s a fascinating glimpse at how access journalism—and the sucking-up that often facilitates it—works.
“If you all want to speak on this publicly, you’re welcome to Washington Times Radio,” a staffer from that outlet wrote. “You know that you will be on friendly ground here!” And indeed, judging by the other inquiries, Sanford had friendlier ground in media booking offices than anywhere north of the equator:
