Kalb Report host and veteran journalist Marvin Kalb grilled NYT executive editor Bill Keller and Washington bureau chief Dean Baquet at the National Press Club last night. Baquet spoke for just five minutes of a one-hour program.

Kalb declared himself a NYT fan who respected the publication as a leader in the news business. But you wouldn’t know it from the tone of the interview. Early on, he pressed Keller on the number of features in the Times, some of which appear on the front page. Kalb said he was “of the sort” who believes only hard news belongs on the front page. Keller defended features, saying they were important for telling stories, and had news value. Kalb wasn’t persuaded.

Asked about competition, Keller said that though WaPo and WSJ are still major competitors, online media have also been competitive, not just for traffic but for reporting and editing talent. He named Politico, HuffPost, and The Daily Beast, and says he reads them daily. Or, as he explained,”somebody looks at them and tells me.”

Kalb and Keller also clashed over commentary and analysis in news pieces. Kalb said there “should be a wall between the two.” Keller disagreed. “I don’t mind analysis in the news pages. In fact, I encourage it…It’s what readers want,” he said.

Kalb seemed pissed…

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Say hello to Politico‘s media writer Keach Hagey, a native of Evansville, Ind. She came to Washington from The National newspaper in Abu Dhabi, where she was covering the business of media in the Middle East. Previously she wrote for CBS.com and the Village Voice. We wouldn’t have guessed this, but she prefers the cuss word, “motherfucker” as well as the word, “pork.” Well done. Read on.

If you were a carbonated beverage which would you be? Ginger beer

How often do you Google yourself? Occasionally.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever said to an editor (or vice versa) “I can’t cover that zoning board meeting tonight because I have band practice.”

Who is your favorite working journalist? William T. Vollman

Do you have a favorite word? Pork. I don’t eat it, but I like to say it. I just think it’s a well-constructed group of letters, in the same way that Drew Barrymore’s character in “Donnie Darko” likes the words “cellar door.”

Who would you rather have dinner with – First Lady Michelle Obama or Bestselling Author and former V.P. candidate Sarah Palin? Palin.

What’s the name of your cell phone ring? The fake old timey phone sound that comes on the Blackberry.

When did you last cry and why? Three days ago, while watching “Out of Africa” for the first time. So embarrassing.

What word do you routinely misspell? Across.

What swear word do you use most often? Motherfucker.

What word or phrase do you overuse? See above.

What TV show do you have to watch? True Blood.

Where do you shop most often for your clothes? Beacon’s Closet.

Whom do you prefer for daytime talk, Dr. Phil, Ellen, Oprah, Tyra or the women of The View? The View. Barbara Walters has no peer.

Pick one: Leno, Letterman or Conan? Letterman.

If you were trapped on a deserted island, which public official would you want to be trapped with and why? Haley Barbour, assuming he brings his whiskey.

Who is your mentor? Wayne Barrett, Dave Blum, Michelle Johnson

What’s the best advice you ever received in the course of your career? Don’t take no for an answer.

Read more about Keach after the jump…

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On Thursday, the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law Membership will hold a hearing on the “Role of Immigration in Strengthening America’s Economy” featuring New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Fox owner and Rupert Murdoch. The media magnate and immigrant was born in Australia. The pair created a coalition earlier this year to push immigration reform.

This just in…

AP Justice Department reporter Devlin Barrett leaving to take job with WSJ. Will do DC-based reporting as part of Rupert Murdoch‘s expanded coverage of New York. “Huge coup for WSJ,” our tipster opines.

Barrett chats with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow

By FBDC contributor Nick Massella

While Vice President Joe Biden may describe this media mogul as a BFD, Rupert Murdoch doesn’t let his power get to his head.

“I don’t let it get to me – I don’t really believe it,” said Murdoch, at The George Washington University’s Kalb Report Tuesday night at the National Press Club.

Murdoch spoke about his path to creating a media empire, what he considers content, and of his morning reading list.
Laughs erupted from the audience when Murdoch admitted that his morning news lineup consisted of The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.

“But you own those two,” reminded Marvin Kalb, host of the program, which is produced by GW’s Global Media Institute, the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University, and the National Press Club.

Murdoch, who owns one of the coveted Apple iPads, describes it as “a wonderful thing” and that it “brought together all forms of media – music, books, newspapers.”

Unlike critics of the iPad and Amazon Kindle who think that these technologies will destroy the future of the newspaper, Murdoch believes that it may actually save the newspaper industry.

“If you have less newspapers and more of these, that’s ok,” said Murdoch of the iPad. “It’s more economic. It may well be the saving of the newspaper industry.”

Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of News Corporation, joins journalist Marvin Kalb to “share his unique perspectives” on the future of journalism in the next edition of “The Kalb Report”, Tuesday, April 6, 2010, at 8 p.m. in the main ballroom of the National Press Club.

Find out how to attend after the jump…

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Our friends at Webnewser are at the We Media conference in Miami. Author, media critic and Newser founder Michael Wolff opines on a number of people in the business such as HuffPost’s Arianna Huffington, Rupert Murdoch, Tina Brown and the Sulzbergers.

Read the post here.

Due to current weather conditions, Rupert Murdoch will not be appearing with Marvin Kalb for the Kalb Report this week. The event is being rescheduled for later in the semester. Note from Kalb after the jump.

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Rupert Murdoch, Chairman and CEO of News Corporation, will join Marvin Kalb to share his unique perspectives on the future of journalism and the media in the next edition of The Kalb Report: The Making of a Modern Media Mogul.

The event will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2010, at 8 p.m. in the main ballroom of the National Press Club. Free tickets for the Feb. 9, 2010, Kalb Report are available through GW TicketMaster online at kalb.gwu.edu.

Good morning FishbowlDC! A very happy anniversary to one of Fishbowl’s fav. couples, Jack and Susanna Quinn.

What we know and what we’re reading this Wednesday, the 2nd day of December…

TV | NEWSPAPERS| ONLINE | NEWS NOTES

TV

“TVandPC”: After a few months of testing, Nielsen is ready to officially roll out a combined measurement for internet and TV viewing though its People Meters.

NEWSPAPERS

There’s an intriguing idea floating around the media: Microsoft Corp. wants to undercut Google so badly in Internet search that it might pay newspapers to withhold their content from Google.

“Up to 290 WSJ reporters would be jobless if site had gone free,” says Managing Editor Robert Thomson.

ONLINE

Arianna Huffington used her 25 minutes at the FTC’s “How Will Journalism Survive The Internet Age?” conference to take News Corp (NYSE: NWS) CEO Rupert Murdoch and his executives to task.

Media execs make case for online fees at FTC panel.

The WSJ takes a look at the dark side of ‘webtribution.’

NEWS NOTES

An Iraqi man famous for throwing shoes at US President George W Bush in 2008 has come under fire in a similar attack.

While administrations come and go, and power in Congress teeters between political parties, one thing remains constant in the lives of Washington, D.C.’s, elite: the power lunch.

h/t to Daniel Lippman.