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Rosen, a Democratic strategist, lobbyist and pundit who co-hosted the brunch this year as well, was briefly the Washington editor-at-large for the Huffington Post, before the outlet let her go because she was also helping to manage BP's public relations in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon spill (FAIR.org, 3/7/12). John and Christine Stineman also co-hosted both years; John Stineman's webpage boasts he has "worked on behalf of more than 20% of the Fortune 100 companies," while Christine's touts her work for, among other organizations, the American Medical Association's 2008 healthcare campaign, which vigorously opposed a single-payer solution to the healthcare crisis.
And, of course, there were corporate sponsors, as Grynbaum noted: "The sponsors included Wells Fargo, the health insurer Anthem and a Washington-based lobbyist for the wind energy industry."
Grynbaum's piece covered the brunch with an air of irony and detachment, but never sharp criticism; he closed with his conversation with the Iowa state AARP director, who advised: “Stand on a sidewalk and just start talking to people. You’ll get a better sense than at a fancy brunch.” Grynbaum observed:
Mr. Anderson happened to say this while kibitzing at Ms. Haddad’s fancy brunch. Be honest: Will he miss the media when it’s gone?“I will,” he said, laughing. “I love you guys. I’m not being cheesy here, but the media does appreciate the Iowan approach to this process, and that makes me happy.”
Another reporter (Washington Free Beacon, 2/3/20) noted that most of the "A-list" journalists didn't show up—unlike the Washington version of the brunch, which is one of a slew of corporate-sponsored events the weekend of the correspondents' dinner. As a Seimens marketing officer said of the DC events (BizBash.com, 4/30/12), “It’s a good way for us to make connections in government, business and media.”
The journalist/politician/corporate coziness in Iowa certainly does not approach that of Washington, where the hobnobbing has become so normalized that some journalists appear to have lost any sense of impropriety about it. But the Snowflake Garden Brunch opens a window onto the widespread nature of that corruption, where lobbyists throw parties for journalists so they can schmooze with the politicians they cover—sponsored by the same corporations that fund (and sometimes own) the media outlets the journalists work for.
Featured image: New York Times depiction (2/3/20) of ice cow at Snowflake Garden Brunch (photo: Chase Castor/New York Times).
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