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News Corp. Accused of Hush Money Offer (AP)
The O.J. Simpson book saga took another twist today when his former sister-in-law, Denise Brown, accused the media company behind the project of trying to buy her family's silence for "millions of dollars." Brown told NBC's Today show that her family's response was "Absolutely not." BW: News Corp. forgot the difference between the book business and the TV business. FishbowlNY: Daily News uses O.J. book slashing to go for Rupert Murdoch's jugular.

Whitman, Disney, Emerson in 'Top 100 Americans' (Atlantic Monthly)
The list of influential figures also includes Noah Webster, whose dictionary "defined" American English, William Randolph Hearst and Walter Lippman, "The last man who could swing an election with a newspaper column."

WSJ Staffers Harassed by Union? (NYP)
The union representing reporters at Dow Jones & Co.'s Wall Street Journal might want to get a bit more organized. Several journalists at the financial publisher's newswire operation in Jersey City have started complaining about being harassed by phone calls from Wall Street Journal union reps looking to recruit them.

Web Publishers Receive Immunity on Defamation (IHT)
The California Supreme Court said Monday that Internet publishers could not be held liable for posting defamatory comments written by others, a victory for online companies like Google and America Online. The court, in a unanimous decision, said that those claiming defamation could sue only the original source of the disputed comments, not publishers or distributors, even if the distributor was an individual.

Spielberg Calls for Responsible TV (Hollywood Reporter via Reuters)
Steven Spielberg urged TV networks to be mindful of what they show on the air because of the effect it might have on children, and said programs like CSI and Heroes were too gruesome. "Today we are needing to be as responsible as we can possibly be, not just thinking of our own children but our friends' and neighbors' children," Spielberg told an audience Monday.

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