At one point in the distant past, my email somehow got added to the list of a person who hosted dinner parties in Manhattan which had the explicit purpose of mi

At one point in the distant past, my email somehow got added to the list of a person who hosted dinner parties in Manhattan which had the explicit purpose of mixing journalists and politicians for evenings of "off-the-record" discussions. A number of names on the list were people you could see on TV news several times a week. I'd get the invitations and there would be topics and guests, much like the Uber CEO, who would be sort of the center of attention. The emails all stressed the off-the-record nature, the idea was to get everyone able to know each other a little better. I've got mixed feelings about that. Obviously it could make reporter and reportee a bit too cozy with each other. On the other hand, I can see how remembering conversations over chardonnay and cheese would also make access a lot smoother when needed. And the reporters would know where the people they were reporting on were coming from, which is useful even if they don't print it. tl;dr- These parties happen all the time and stay off record.