beat sweetener

beat sweetener
 n.— «The New Yorker says White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel is “a political John McEnroe, known for both his mercurial temperament and his tactical brilliance,” yet is also uncommonly indifferent to both criticism and praise. Welcome to the “beat sweetener.” In the early days of any administration, reporters reach out to the men and women who might become their sources over the next four years—then slather them with glowing profiles suitable for framing in their mothers” bedrooms.» —“How media sucks up to White House” by Michael Calderone Politico Mar. 3, 2009. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)