This is probably a fair-enough comparison, but to the extent it’s accurate, I still don’t see a problem.

Sorkin does seem like a “kid with good access to powerful old men” — access most other business reporters just don’t have and can’t, for one reason or another, acquire. That’s kinda the point, and I read his stuff because of his access, not in spite of it. Readers are smart enough to see through the occasional back-scratching that creeps into material that’s otherwise pretty well-sourced.