Parliament of Whores … and Tattletales

More tales of journalists behaving badly: Boston Herald columnist Charles Chieppo has been given a $10,000 contract by Taxachussetts Governor Mitt Romney "to promote the governor's environmental policies," according to the Boston Globe.

His job calls for writing op-ed pieces and internal documents "to support the efforts of senior management to promote education, awareness, and acceptance of major policy initiatives" on the environment.

Chieppo will work two days a week until at least June 30. He also plans to continue writing op-ed columns for the Herald, where he is paid for each article.

Meanwhile, if we can believe Lloyd Grove, the Gray Lady is turning into the Gray Sex-Snitch:

The perils of Iraq have nothing on the nasty fracas erupting between former New York Times Baghdad Bureau Chief Susan Sachs and her ex-colleagues, Times Baghdad correspondents Dexter Filkins and John Burns.

The Gray Lady's management has just fired Sachs, a widely respected and experienced journalist who has tangled bitterly with Burns and Filkins, over allegations that she sent anonymous letters and an E-mail to their wives alleging bad behavior with women in the war zone.