This year's new crop of McCormick Tribune Fellows has been named. The program is aimed at minority executives in the news business and is held in conjunction with Northwestern University.

2008's winners are:

It seems like someone at Associated Press HQ is reading I Am Charlotte Simmons right now. The following change to the AP Stylebook just found its way to our inbox:

Coed

The preferred term as a noun is female student, but coed is acceptable as an adjective to describe coeducational institutions. No hyphen.

Thus the AP Stylebook takes a brave step into the year 1998 and the world trembles, just a bit.

A bit of regional j-school news: SUNY Stony Brook is bolstering their School of Journalism with a new "Center for News Literacy" with Newsday Editorial Page editor Jim Klurfeld at the helm. The $200k+ project is intended to serve as a journalism resource center for universities across the country and to organize conferences on issues related to the reliability of news media.

Press release after the jump.

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In its burgeoning war of words with Anderson Cooper, Fox News is pulling out the verbal equivalent of a nuclear warhead: Paris Hilton.

After Anderson Cooper slammed Fox News for its loose journalism in covering the Barack Obama school story on the air, FNC spokesman Irena Briganti responded, calling Cooper's move "yet another cry for attention by the Paris Hilton of television news, Anderson Cooper." Fox is now running a print ad with the Paris crack, and talking about the ad on the air.

CNN's response?

Roger is apparently spinning out of control over the ratings. Before Anderson Cooper took over the 10pm time slot Fox News had a 174% lead in the demo (Aug. 05). Now it is a mere 21% in Jan. 07. As usual, Fox can't get the facts quite right. Anderson just beat Greta Thursday night. CNN says Anderson beat Greta 40 times in the demo last year, and three times in January. CNN also points to awards -- A Peabody, DuPont, and three Emmys for 360 in 2006. Greta Van Susteren? Zero.

EARLIER:

It's not everyday you get this kind of lineup for an academia panel:

TWO EX-TERRORISTS AND A FORMER NAZI SPEAK AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY Wednesday, October 11

On Wednesday, Oct 11, at 7:30 P.M., two ex-terrorists and a former Nazi will speak at Roone Hall, Columbia University located at 115th Street and Broadway in NYC.

Walid Shoebat is a former PLO terrorist who spent much of his life particpating in acts of violence and spreading a message of hatred. He is now spreading a message of peace and freedom. Shoebat is the author of the best selling book Why I Left Jihad.

Hillmar von Campe is a former Hitler youth and German soldier. He describes his life as an active particpant in the greatest tragedy of the 20th Century and says the world faces the same challenges today as it did in the 1930s. Author of five books, von Campe has recently published How Was It Possible?, an autobiography.

Zachariah Anani was a teenage militia fighter in Lebanon. At 13, he joined one of the many military groups that existed in the early 70s. Soon after enlisting, he made his first "kill." By the time he turned 16, "life meant nothing," Anani says.

EARLIER:

Earlier this year, Nicholas Lemann, the dean of the Columbia Journalism School, came under fire for cutting funding to CJR Daily, the online arm of the Columbia Journalism Review. Two editors quit in protest. Fairly or unfairly, Lemann quickly developed a gatekeeper reputation — a sort of "Pope of MSM" — for having what was viewed by some as an old-school, out-of-touch print logic. He bristled at that description, but is unapologetic on the potential for future cutbacks at CJR Daily:

mb: Are you saying you might have to cut back further? Lemann: Yes, absolutely yes. We have a funding stream that will last for about two years. After that, I can't promise anything.

Imagine you had lots of resources and time, and a bunch of eager, J-school grads to report at length about issues of national and international importance under the guidance of seasoned coaches and trainers. Sounds pretty idealistic, yes?

What if you could get the Carnegie and Knight foundations to kick in $6 million over two, maybe three years for five universities? And to see if those grads could produce some serious journalism, while improving research and journalism curricula?

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Nevermind the former president's stacked speaking engagements — Clinton-era Republicans are in demand, too:

A PUBLIC CONVERSATION WITH NEWT GINGRICH

Wednesday, September 13, 6:00 p.m.

The New School, Theresa Lang Community and Student Center

55 West 13th Street (near Sixth Avenue), 2nd floor

WHO: Newt Gingrich was speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1994 until 1998. His "contract with America" helped Republicans achieve massive congressional victories and secure a majority in the House for the first time in forty years. Currently, he is chairman of the Gingrich Group, a communications and consulting firm that launched in 2003 the Center for Health Transformation. Since October 2004, Gingrich has co-chaired with New School president Bob Kerrey the National Commission for Quality Long-term Care. Now officially housed at The New School, the commission is developing a national policy agenda for the improvement of long-term healthcare.

WHAT: Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy presents a public conversation with Newt Gingrich. An expert on healthcare, military issues, international affairs, and world history, Gingrich will discuss how real change can help the poor, the powerless, and those left out of the American dream. He will draw heavily upon the argument of his best-selling 2005 book, Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract With America.

ADMISSION INFO: Admission is free, but reservations are required. To reserve a seat, call 212.229.5400 x1482.

EARLIER: Clinton, Armstrong, Eisner, Burnett To Give 'Power' Talk At Javitz Center

Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Communications is expected to announce later today the launch of the Mirror Awards to recognize excellence in media business reporting and open to anyone who "conducts reporting, commentary or criticism of the media industries, including television, newspapers, magazines, radio, advertising, public relations" and, of course, the Internet. The first awards will be given sometime next year. We spoke with Dean David M. Rubin about the awards, the state of the media, blogs — he doesn't read them! — and how the various journalism scandals, like the Reuters photo flap and Jayson Blair, are taught.

For the latest installment of our Endless Summer Media Preview, we asked those who consume more media than is probably healthy — our own mediabistro staff — what the summer will bring.

Will baby Suri grow webbed feet? Will Britney's baby come out with black hair? Will the stank at Canal Street Q station ever cease?

Those and other bold media predictions:

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