Hacked Off

A furore has been caused after it was revealed that notable writers from the The New York Times and The Washington Post enjoyed a free trip to Jamaica last week courtesy of consumer sponsors including Thrillist and JetBlue. The luxury holiday included a round-trip flight from JFK International to Montego Bay and two nights at a top hotel where they received “overstuffed gift bags…filled with T-shirts, sunglasses” and other freebees, according to Daily Finance. Embarrassed by their antics — which has caused criticism of the hacks’ willingness to live-it-large at the expense of a commercial venture — The Washington Post released a statement saying it plans to reimburse the cost of the trip. The Times chose to disassociate itself one of its reporters on the trip (Mike Albo) stressing that he was a “freelancer” and saying that he was not on a Times assignment. All parties appeared pretty hacked off.