Former Los Angeles Times Publisher Otis Chandler Dies (LAT)
Chandler, whose vision and determination as publisher of the paper from 1960 to 1980 catapulted the paper from mediocrity into the front ranks of American journalism, succumbed to a degenerative illness called Lewy body disease. AP via E&P: "No publisher in America improved a paper so quickly on so grand a scale, took a paper that was marginal in qualities and brought it to excellence as Otis Chandler did," David Halberstam wrote in his 1979 book The Powers That Be.

Wintour Is Fashion's #1 Target (NYT)
Guy Trebay: Like another sphinx celebrity, Andy Warhol, Anna Wintour has perfected a public facade so blank that she makes the ideal screen on which to project almost anything. The thought is scary, but Ms. Wintour may just have attained a creepy, Warholian level of fame.

Cronkite to CBS: Keep Bob Schieffer (San Jose Mercury News)
"I think he's terrific," legendary anchor Walter Cronkite says. "I've always had a great appreciation of his ability. And I would rather like to see him stay on the job there. But, as I gather, he isn't necessarily crazy about continuing on the Evening News for much longer."

White House Press Conferences: Frustrating for All (NYT)
The relationship between the White House and the press has historically held an inherent tension. And many say it has been eroding since the Vietnam War and Watergate. But today, those on both sides say, the relationship has deteriorated further, exacerbated by the live briefings.

How to Get Fired: Publish a Recipe for Crystal Meth (Miami Herald)
After courting controversy as editor of Miami New Times, Jim Mullin found himself mired in another huge scandal as editor of the San Luis Obispo New Times after publishing a cover story headlined "Meth Made Easy" that included a recipe for manufacturing methamphetamine.

What's the Secret of The Economist? (Independent)
An absence of bylines is all part of the prestigious weekly's mystique. As its editor steps down, former staffer Stephen Hugh Jones offers a glimpse of life on the inside. Guardian: Bill Emmott, an anonymous mastermind, gave The Economist success in the age of citizen journalism.

Critic: All Writers Are Plagiarists (Weekly Standard)
Joseph Epstein: Every writer is a thief, though some of us are more clever than others at disguising our robberies. The reason writers are such slow readers is that we are ceaselessly searching for things we can steal and then pass off as our own.

Ask Jeeves Rebrands as Ask.com, Launches New Features (SF Chron)
Ask.com's overhaul, which will be announced today at a search engine conference, includes a new look for the site's main page, now equipped with a more accessible search toolbar. It also features an updated mapping tool, including not only driving directions, but also separate walking directions.

Waiting on Apology From Graydon (Ad Age)
Simon Dumenco: Graydon Carter owes an apology for inflicting Tom Ford's "Naked Hollywood" portfolio on us — and for proving, as Scott Donaton puts it, the futility of magazines attempting to "use shock to hide the absence of a real idea or something meaningful or relevant to say."

VH1: The Surreal Network (Slate)
To understand the much-heralded renaissance of VH1, in which the network has gone from unwatchable to riveting, the place to start is with its inferiority complex.

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