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China Eats Crow Over Faked Photo of Rare Antelope (WSJ)
Earlier this week, Xinhua, China's state-run news agency, issued an unusual public apology for publishing a doctored photograph of Tibetan wildlife frolicking near a high-speed train. The deception — uncovered by Chinese Internet users who sniffed out a Photoshop scam in the award-winning picture — has brought on a big debate about media ethics, China's troubled relationship with Tibet, and how pregnant antelope react to noise.

Gossip Writer Baird Jones Likely Dead (NYDN)
Ben Widdicombe: Shortly after midnight, West Coast time, I received an email from a mutual friend saying: "Baird Jones has passed away. ... After a disturbing lack of response by Baird to my emails and calls I had police emergency services break open the door to his apartment. This happened 5 hours ago [approximately 10.30pm Thursday, EST]. Baird is no longer with us. He died of natural causes."

Web Socialites Succumb to 'Facebook Fatigue' (Times of London)
The social networking phenomenon may have peaked now that the number of British users of Facebook has fallen for the first time. Figures showed a 5 percent decline from 8.9 million unique visitors to the website in December to 8.5 million last month. The fall could be a seasonal dip — Facebook's audience is still 712 percent higher than it was a year ago and 9 percent higher than three months ago.

Product Placement in Magazines: No Longer an Ethical Issue? (Folio:)
Joanna Pettas: It used to be that talk of product placement in magazines would elicit a scary backlash from church-state fundamentalists. Not so much anymore. In a working group devoted to marketing and brand development, many seemed to think the issue has gotten beyond whether or not it's a church-state violation — it's not longer a question of do or don't but more like when and how.

Royko Fan Fights for Free Iraqi Press (Chicago Tribune)
The spirit of famed columnist Mike Royko, who for years rankled Chicago's political establishment, is helping influence a nation of budding journalists — in Iraq. Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, a deputy chief of public affairs in Baghdad, has been at the center of the country's rebuilding effort by helping the post-Saddam Hussein Iraqi journalists to more courageously question government policy and become advocates for a free-thinking society.

Bill Gates on the Future of Journalism (CNet)
"I hope that readers will be willing to pay subscriptions or watch ads or things that will keep the high quality and breadth of journalism alive and (make it) even better than it is today," Gates said. "In some ways, we have better journalism today... (With) in-depth, certain kinds of journalism...there's still a question of how that gets funded."

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