It disturbs me to no end, but the sad truth is that media ethics continue to erode at a phenomenal rate. High-profile reporters in top media markets reporting information they know to be false? Yep. Reporters writing a story first and then finding the sources to validate it? Yep. Ad departments selling spots on the news with their ads/marketing agreements? Yep. The list goes on and on. It's not long ago that having reporters interview other reporters as "experts" on a topic would have been unheard of. Ah the days of journalists acting as humble observers. Now, turn on any cable channel and you can watch reporters interviewing reporters as experts on science, politics, you name it.

Given all of the other things I've seen, a status comp is the least of my worries about media. And frankly, if the reporter is comparing elite programs and services, a limited-time status offer wouldn't be out of line IMO. You can't expect he or the paper to waste the time and money it would take to earn status across several carriers just to write the story. Oh how I miss Brill's Content....