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Abducted BBC Reporter 'Still Alive' (Al Jazeera English)
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, says he has information that Alan Johnston, the BBC journalist seized over a month ago in Gaza, is "still alive". The BBC cautiously welcomed Abbas's statement on Thursday and called for his release as Johnston's father acknowledged the "really good news" and asked for "proof" that his son is alive.

RS 40th Anniversary Issue on Newsstands Today (WWD)
The magazine includes interviews with Tom Wolfe, Jimmy Carter, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ringo Star and Paul McCartney, among others. Of these leaders, only two of the subjects are women — Patti Smith and Jane Fonda — and none of the iconic leaders are African-American.

Couric, Kristof To Host Overseas Press Club Awards (FishbowlNY)
Katie Couric may be mired in third place and has yet to set foot in Iraq, but she's getting the honor rival Brian Williams had last year: hosting the Overseas Press Club Awards in New York. New York Times op-ed columnist Nick Kristof — who embarks on the "Win a Trip With Nick" contest trip in June — will provide the keynote at next week's ceremony. E&P: 2007 winners.

'7-Minute Sopranos' an Inside Job (NewTeeVee)
The creator may not have had "official" approval to use the copyrighted content in the manner he did, but the clip's continued shelf-life shows that the HBO brass don't exactly disapprove of what is, in fact, a pretty good promo.

H'wood, Big Media On the Campaign Trail (Hollywood Reporter)
If campaign donations are any indication, Viacom is fond of Barack Obama, Comcast likes Hilary Clinton and Time Warner is sweet on both. Hollywood continues to be a major financier of the nation's presidential campaigns, handing out $2.4 million to White House hopefuls during this election cycle (Jan. 1-March 30).

Karma Chameleons (National Journal)
William Powers: There is a tremendous poignancy to the news business right now. And I'm not talking about the trade's worries about money and declining audience, which are real if a bit overblown. I'm talking about the media's earnest, ongoing effort to get all of us to care simultaneously about the same thing.

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