NBC News sells what's left of its soul to Paris Hilton

We knew Paris Hilton's jailhouse stint would pay off in the long run, but according to the New York Post this morning, the poor little bitch girl won't only pass "go" when she walks out sometime next week-- she'll collect one million dollars. From NBC.

The Post says the suits have agreed to pay that much for Paris' exclusive jailhouse exit interview, which would appear on the Today show the day after she gets out. Meredith Vieira gets the honors, and that's got everyone at ABC steaming because they figured that Barbara Walters, with her friendship with Paris' mother, and the "Paris found God" PR work she did, would get them the interview for free.

Don't let anyone tell you the "mainstream" news networks don't pay for stories, or that there was ever any serious hand-wringing over the attention paid to Paris Hilton and her jailterm fiascos. NBC will deny paying Paris, they'll funnel the money to some secondary corporation or couch it as expenses and traveling fees, but don't buy it. If Paris' bony ass winds up on the Today, rest assured that serious lucre has passed hands. TV news is a business. They like to have their cake and eat it too, and despite those laws about criminals profiting from their crimes, the Paris interview will rate up the ass.