Checkbook Journalism

UNIVERSAL REMOTE

The state of garbage journalism has been a pet cause of Chill's since the birth of this blog. He has also repeatedly railed against their addiction to stories about "Missing White Women." Here is something that mashes the two things together into one big corrupt mess.

Apparently, NBC and Katie Couric have just struck a deal to interview "runaway bride" Jennifer Wilbanks. Being that it is against their policy to pay for a sit-down, how exactly did America's Sweetheart land such a big story? By having NBC's parent company pay her for book and TV movie projects that will never exist!

From today's PageSix (in its entirety so you don't have to register).

JUDITH Regan did everything possible to keep her $500,000 deal with "Runaway Bride" Jennifer Wilbanks a secret. But PAGE SIX has obtained a copy of the "deal memo" that led to Wilbanks' interview with NBC's Katie Couric, plus an e-mail from Regan's office swearing Wilbanks and her family to secrecy.

"I must stress the importance of keeping this deal and all its details absolutely confidential," Regan's assistant, Doug Grad, e-mailed the Wilbanks family this month.

"Nobody can know that this deal has gone through — and those who do know . . . must keep it secret. Any leaks can lead to the cancellation of the first interview, and the cancellation of the deal. I cannot stress this strongly enough."

Secrecy was crucial because NBC News, like other network news divisions, has a policy against paying for interviews. NBC claims it hasn't paid a dime to Wilbanks or to Regan, who runs ReganMedia. But speculation has been rampant that Couric landed the Wilbanks interview as part of a $500,000 deal that included a TV movie.

A rep for NBC told us yesterday: "We have not, never have and never will pay for an interview. Whatever deal Judith Regan has with the Wilbanks' is not with us."

The carefully worded "deal memo" never mentions NBC. "Maybe Judith thinks she can garner interest in Jennifer Wilbanks so she can sell her rights to a TV movie," the NBC rep said. "She owns Jennifer now. Call Judith." Regan didn't return calls.

The agreement for the "television rights of the story of Jennifer Wilbanks and John Mason" says the couple will be paid "$500,000 . . . after the completion of the first interview " with Wilbanks and fiancé Mason.

The memo says the "interview must be completed within the next 10 days (therefore, no later than Monday, June 13, 2005) and TV Rights would also include Exclusive Dramatic Rights (TV/Movie rights.)"

ReganMedia issued a press release yesterday announcing it had acquired all rights to the life stories of Wilbanks and Mason. "ReganMedia is currently developing a scripted television project based on the Wilbanks-Mason story. The project is not with NBC, nor has any compensation been received from NBC," the release stated.

Although NBC is keeping itself at arm's length from the deal, the Wilbanks' seemed to think the money was coming from NBC. An insider said: "The Wilbanks family called up ABC and said, 'Katie Couric is offering us $500,000; what can Diane [Sawyer] do?"

This kind of stuff just makes my skin crawl.