A piece by Stuart Jeffries in the Guardian, about the death of the long boozy business lunch. Of note for journalists is this part:

“[An article in the New York Times] reported that even press officers were declining to take out reporters for lunch. Something similar is happening over here, showing how crazy the credit crunch has become. Time was that a journalist was always a good bet for a free lunch, not least because newspaper ethics historically demanded that the journalist did more than just reach for the bill, for fear of being schmoozed. It isn’t like that any more: the media, like everywhere else, is cutting back on expense-account lunches as advertising revenue plummets. Instead of lunch, with wine, business meetings are more likely now to be conducted over lattes or, once the weather warms up, sandwiches in the park.”

So, anyone out there remember when journalists insisted on paying their way in the name of ethics? And do you have any of your own journalistic luncheon tales to tell?