Los Angeles-based Washington Post writer William Booth chatted with Post readers online this morning about the Paris Hilton media circus. To the first commenter who said the media should be ashamed for giving Hilton's jailing so much attention, Booth replied, "Most news organizations, including the Washington Post, can walk and chew gum at the same time. Meaning: look at today's newspaper. Plenty of Cheney, politics, Iraq, wildfires, movie reviews, stock market analysis and a little scoop of Paris."

Here are some other Boothian excerpts:

Well, Wednesday night on CNN might be unkindly described as the battle of wits, between Larry King and Paris Hilton...

Ms. Hilton told Barbara Walters that this has been a life altering experience for her and that she now plans to dedicate part of her life to a noble cause. I wouldn't invest...

I think they [the L.A. Sheriff's Department] do protect celebrities and that Hollywood actors are given special treatment. In jail, they are kept in special units, for their own protection and to keep the inmate population from going nuts...

To a visitor who noted that Hilton looked pretty good emerging from the slammer, Booth agreed: "She's tan, ready and rested."

Via Romenesko