Palin confronted reporters at Time dinner

Sarah, on the other hand, was happy to be in a room with so many reporters — particularly Time’s Joe Klein, of whom she is a fan — so she could set the record straight. “I did talk to a couple of reporters already and said that a bunch of stuff that they write is bogus, but we had a great conversation about it and we agreed to disagree on a lot of things,” she said. “One thing we can all agree on, though, is how much we respect and want to protect the freedom of the press and we have that in common, so at the end of the day, I think as long as we’re protecting that and not abusing the right — we have to be writing truth — then we’ll get along just fine tonight.” Particularly, she wanted to clear up “the bogus reports about how much money I supposedly make,” she said. “I have a business. I run a business with my speaker’s fee.”

As if to drive home the point, Palin reiterated her great respect for journalism in her public “toast” to those who influence her, a Time 100 dinner tradition. “I want to make a toast to all at this press event who agree with Thomas Jefferson, who said that our liberty depends on the freedom of the press,” she said. “So I want to lift a glass to those who defend that freedom. Our finest, the men and women in uniform who defend that freedom, our Constitution, and our exceptional way of life in America.”