VF Writer: Bradlee on Tape About Plame Leaker (NYT)
Former Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee said that he had been told about Bob Woodward's source but he did not recall saying the exact words attributed to him in Vanity Fair. But a spokesman for the mag defended the quotes, saying that the author, Marie Brenner, said that she had tape recorded Bradlee's comments. HuffPo: VF whitewashes Bob Woodward's role in Plamegate, combining sloppy, credulous reporting with a starry-eyed adulation, writes Arianna Huffington.

Knight Breakup May Concentrate Ownership of Bay Area Papers (Grade the News)
Michael Stoll: MediaNews could dominate newspaper circulation in the region if allowed to add the San Jose Mercury News, Contra Costa Times, Monterey Herald, Palo Alto Daily News and its sibling papers, plus the weekly Silicon Valley Community Newspapers to its growing archipelago of dailies. San Jose Mercury News: Investor who forced Knight's hand will barely break even on sale. Inky: News business is as volatile as ever. E&P: New McClatchy/KR chief promises changes.

New York Times Reporter Draws the Hillary Beat (NYO)
The paper has assigned Anne Kornblut, a veteran of the 2000 and 2004 Bush campaign trail, to cover Clinton's 2006 Senate run — and whatever comes after. The assignment signals a formal shift in the coverage of Mrs. Clinton from local officeholder to national personality.

'Kelly Gang' to Meet for St. Patrick's Day Dinner (MIN)
Just about every Kelly in publishing is involved in the 3-year-old tradition: New York Post columnist Keith Kelly, American Express Publishing President/CEO Ed Kelly, Time managing editor Jim Kelly, Women's Health publisher Kate Kelly Smith, and ElleGIRL EIC Christina Kelly, among others.

The Shield Bill's Demise (Seattle Weekly)
A Washington state bill that would have protected journalists from having to disclose confidential sources and erected roadblocks for those wanting reporters' notebooks and other material used to gather news is killed by a sudden, "weird" opposition.

Yemen Editor May Be Executed for Printing Cartoons (BBC)
Yemeni lawyers have called for a newspaper editor to be sentenced to death for showing cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad al-Asadi was arrested after his publication, the Yemen Observer, showed the Danish cartoons. He denies the charges of offending Islam. BBC: 12 writers put their names to a statement in French weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo warning against Islamic "totalitarianism."

My Crush on the 'Smudgy-Print Underdog' (Philly Daily News)
Gina Boubion: I've been hearing that the Philadelphia Daily News was about to close since my first day as a summer intern in June 1986. Its death has always seemed imminent and inevitable, but it keeps on kicking despite decades of buyouts and other cost-cutting.

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