BABS WALTERS DISSES PARIS HILTON

Barbara Walters revealed yesterday why she turned down the first post-jail interview with Paris Hilton. The stone-aged journalist said simply that Paris' story isn't "important" enough in an interview with the NY Post's Cindy Adams.

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Walters told the revered gossip columnist that she was poised to do the interview but that her conscience made her change her mind at the last second.

"Look, I've done prison interviews before, but people like the Menendez Brothers were really important news stories," she said. "This wasn't. And even though I'd already written my questions, when all that pay-for-play stuff happened, I suddenly felt this was not up to my standard. It felt sort of tawdry."

Adding insult to injury, she added "The whole thing somehow was beneath me."

Walters also put the blame on the initial chase for the interview on her employer, ABC. "For them it was ratings. For me it was respect… I'm fortunately at a point in my life where I can choose what I want, and this was solely my decision."

"They respected my decision and walked away," she added. "Some agreed with my decision, some didn't. For me it was just a question of respect."

BY EMMIS RODRIGUEZ