Inside Softball

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When she was still a columnist for BusinessWeek, Maria Bartiromo came under criticism for being too chummy with executives, as well. This came to a head when she was caught accompanying Citigroup' wealth management chief Todd S. Thompson on his company's jet to China and other locations according to the New York Times' Landon Thomas Jr. Thomson was fired; Bartiromo's reputation was singed.

Time's James Poniewozik jokingly called the episode Moneyhoneygate and opined, "The real problems creep in when reporters, editors, and whole news organizations get overly close and chummy with the people they cover, which doesn't take questionable jet trips to accomplish. And not only do news organizations not forbid this, they actively encourage it, in the name of 'source development' and 'access.'"

All of which is a way of asking, is BusinessWeek risking similar shenanigans with Rose as columnist?

After all, Fortune's Kaplan noted that Rose "enjoys bumming rides on the private jets of friends," which might fly (so to speak) on PBS, but could appear a bit unseemly in print, especially at a magazine trying to reposition itself after a disastrous year. Does Bloomberg BusinessWeek really want to seem like the kind of place where an interviewer—excuse me, conversationalist—is scratching his friends' backs and occasionally, if the need arises, enjoying the comfort of their private planes? (At one point Rose complained—but really kind of boasted—to Fortune, "I have five friends who are calling me up to go on their boats in the Mediterranean this week!... But I'd rather go to the Middle East and talk to President Assad." Life's full of tough choices, Charlie.)

There's a telling quote in Kasindorf 1992 profile of Rose from New York. The host had just arrived in New York and was feeling his way around when he answered her question about the editor-in-chief of Rolling Stone: "Jann Wenner is somebody I met since I came to New York and would invite back on the show. He's not a good friend of mine but somebody I know: I have had dinner at his house. But none of that stops me from asking him questions that were every bit as hard on him."

Here's how Rose introduced Wenner—a frequent guest on his show over the years and now someone he's no longer cagey about calling a friend—in 2007 on the occasion of Rolling Stone's 40th anniversary: "Jann Wenner is here. He is the founder and editor and publisher of Rolling Stone magazine. It has covered America's popular culture for some 40 years. It focuses on music and politics and literature and movies with a rock and roll attitude. Writers like Hunter Thompson gave a voice to the counterculture. This is the anniversary issue. Jann Wenner is also chairman of Wenner Media, which publishes Us Weekly and Men's Journal.

"I am pleased to have him back at this table. Welcome back. You're always welcome at this table," here Rose gestured to his signature round wooden table. "Because, as we've said before, before the table, there was Jann Wenner."

"This is my office table," Wenner said laughing. And it's in Bloomberg's studio. Who says Charlie Rose can't take a thing or two from his friends?

We look forward to Rose's conversation with Wenner in a future issue of Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

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