The Press: Paying for News?

Many people are indignant that Watergate figures are being rewarded with fat book contracts and lecture fees. But these are not unusual. What of an interview? Is it ever proper for a news organization to pay someone for an interview, especially if he happens to be a Watergate felon? Last week CBS News plunged into the midst of the controversy by admitting that it had paid "in the neighborhood" of $25,000 (perhaps as high as $50,000, said some sources) to H.R. Haldeman, former White House chief of staff during the Nixon Administration, for a...