Via Q&A with PR Week, Jimmy Orr says the discussion about metered online content is “healthy” (and – we assume – sure to get “healthier” in these parts once the Orange County Register joins the paywall club later this month):

“Our thought is that no one can cover Los Angeles and Southern California better than we can. That’s our niche. Our journalism is strong enough, and quality sells.”

“The important thing we do is participate [in the debate] and see if the business model works. Too often, people get caught up in the fact that the business model in this industry has not yet been fully realized. That’s true, but that is also okay, because it will be. But if you don’t participate, you’re not going to learn.”

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Well, this was infinitely more complicated than it needed to be. After pumping 102 bullets into the truck of Margie Carranza, 47, and her mother, Emma Hernandez, 71, during the hunt for Christopher Dorner, LAPD volunteered to replace the truck, which the women used to deliver newspapers. When it came time to actually make good on its promise, however, the LAPD tried to force the women to pay the taxes on the new truck, claiming its hands were tied by the IRS.

According to the LA Times, the LAPD finally came to its senses yesterday and worked out a reasonable solution: give the women $40,000 so they can buy their own truck, and still afford to pay the relevant taxes.

The voluntary settlement still doesn’t prevent the pair from suing LAPD, particularly for shooting Hernandez twice in the neck. We’ll see if it will still buys the goodwill that it should have if it had been handled sensibly.

The LAPD PR-nightmare continues unabated. After mistakenly shooting more than 100 holes through the truck of Margie Carranza, 47, and her mother, Emma Hernandez, 71, (who also took two bullets to the neck) during the hunt for Christopher Dorner, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck apologized and promised to replace their truck.

The new truck, however, is apparently not going to happen, according to NBC4, who spoke with the pair’s attorney Glen Jonas.

According to Jonas, LAPD and Galpin Ford wanted his clients to pose for a photo opportunity and pay income tax on the truck. The women no longer want the truck after they were told they needed to fill out a 1099 form for the donation, Jonas said Monday.

“You tried to murder the woman, now you’re telling her she can’t have a four-wheel drive, you’re telling her she can’t sell it and you’ve got to be taxed on it?” Jonas said. “How would anyone react to that?”

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At one point during Tuesday’s frenzied coverage of the Christopher Dorner standoff, the following was added to CNN’s live blog:

[Updated at 5:34 p.m. ET] In posts at 5:06 p.m. ET and 5:09 p.m. ET, we reported apparent information from Big Bear Lake mayor Jay Obernolte. We have learned that the man we spoke to was not the mayor, so we’ve removed the information. We regret the error.

But today, around noon eastern time, those 5:06 and 5:09 p.m. snippets were reinstated together with a brief explanation and apology. Against the backdrop of some definite miscues like the LA Times’ premature report of a body being removed from the cabin, in this case CNN was right all along. Here’s what senior director of PR Matt Dornic told imediaethics.org:

“We did not air a hoax interview. Our source and guest was indeed Jay Obernolte. The original correction was unnecessarily issued due to internal miscommunication.”

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Well, it was bound to happen.

One of Howard Stern‘s loyal listeners pulled a fast one on CBS/KCAL 9 during the middle of their coverage on the Christopher Dorner standoff.

Ronnie the Limo Driver: 1, CBS/KCAL: 0.

UPDATE: Romenesko points out that Captain Janks, a regular caller on the Howard Stern show, is taking credit for the prank call.

KCAL 9 reporter Carter Evans found himself in the middle of gunfire Tuesday afternoon while reporting on the Christopher Dorner standoff in Big Bear.

Officers reportedly spotted Dorner and above is the chilling exchange of bullets, along with Carter (who luckily wasn’t injured) getting chewed out by an LAPD officer.

Just another Tuesday in Southern California.

Beyond the craziness of this weekend’s Christopher Dorner false sighting at a Lowe’s in Northridge, there is the Adams Hill neighborhood of KCRW associate news producer Darrell Satzman.

As he reported this morning, he now has LAPD officers camped out in his southeast Glendale front yard:

As it happens, one of the police officers Dorner called out by name in his online manifesto lives just a few doors down. The detective and officer on my patio were part of a larger contingent of police dispersed around the neighborhood to guard his house.

They decided to use my patio as a lookout point because it offers a clear vantage of three streets leading to the officer’s home. They agreed to talk to me, but they didn’t want their names to be used.

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Rogue LAPD cop Christopher Dorner, who is currently wanted for the murder of no less than three people in Southern California, certainly had plenty of thoughts about various pop culture and media figures in his online manifesto. He apparently felt strong enough about Anderson Cooper, however, to send him a personal note.

More details from Cooper after the jump:

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