How many network morning show news producers at this very moment have issued edicts to their staffs to do “whatever it takes” to land the first interview with the cold/hot-footed Georgian bride-to-have-been??? Yet, can these news divisions even compete with the likes of “Extra,” “The Insider,” and “Inside Edition,” all of which have money to burn to commandeer infamous guests like this? They can’t…publicly. Instead, and few will admit it, the “news” programs WILL pay — or at least cover a first-class vacation to New York City. Maybe they’ll throw in a visit to Vera Wang’s studio? Maybe they’ll even offer up their questions in advance!

Right now some PR “expert” is telling Jennifer Wilbanks to agree to do an interview on a national television program in an effort to re-build her sullied and villified reputation. “You need to put a human face on your ill-fated adventure. Also, just think: a wedding for 600, paid for by your parents, is an expensive proposition, why not capitalize on it? I’ll get you a good deal with the media. Just look at how Amber made out. Maybe we can get you a book deal as well.”

I watched ET and The Insider this evening. Could Paris Hilton have gotten any more play? There were no less than three segments on her including her new movie, her new dog, her first nude scene, her armed bodyguards, her wrong turn in her Ferrari, and her new tattooed boyfriend (son of the 54th richest no-name man in the world). YUCCH! Question: What could be worse? Answer: the upcoming ET exclusive with America’s favorite convicted child molesting teacher Mary Kay Letourneau! “The interview the whole country has been waiting for…”

Much has been written about the fragmentation of the news media, and how it has diluted the political, societal and economic clout once weld by the major news organizations. Would the publication of the Pentagon Papers today have caused the same stir it caused 35 years ago? The answer is a resounding No! Frankly, a week doesn’t go by when The New York Times, Washington Post or CBS “60 Minutes” doesn’t report on some scandalous abuse of power. Yet, the stories don’t stick. The American public, which has been brainwashed to discount the credibility of journalists, could care less.

Yet, today’s “newsmakers” still wield the kind of clout PR practitioners crave to represent. From the President to P Diddy, those who command media attention can command and control the message in the mainstream media. Those who control access to the newsmakers also control the tenor of the resulting editorial product. You don’t play ball with us, we won’t play ball with you.

The media needs to step up to the plate. This seems like heresy coming from a career PR professional. It isn’t. Our profession is under siege — from the Armstrong Williams affair to video news releases produced for the FDA. If journalists adhered to the principles of journalism, PR folks wouldn’t have become the scapegoat that they have. Are there unscrupulous PR people out there. Yes. But, by and large, most are ethical and recognize the value of maintaining transparency.

Journalists: Do your jobs!