Bush Orders Journo Hiring Freeze
President Bush ordered his Cabinet secretaries not to hire columnists to promote administration agendas after disclosure that a second writer had been paid. USAT: The administration has more than doubled its spending on outside contracts with PR firms. WaPo: Democrats introduce legislation that would bar funding of "covert propaganda." NYT Editorial: Bush "plainly irritated" by having to field questions about spin-for-money deals. Salon: Conservative commentators are calling on the White House to come clean and detail any other controversial agreements. E&P: Maggie Gallagher slams WaPo article about money she received from the Department of Health and Human Services for marriage-themed writing projects. NYT: I'm joining up with the conservative media elite; they get paid better, writes Maureen Dowd.

Multiple-Anchor Steam
Peter Johnson: There are those who suspect that Moonves' surprise announcement was primarily intended to deflect attention from Memogate. NYP: Three CBS News execs asked to resign earlier this month over the embarrassing Memogate scandal still haven't quit.

Anchors Inch Toward Stories in Baghdad
Big-name anchors are staging their own Iraq invasion this week, but major news orgs are having trouble persuading reporters to take on the high-risk assignment on a long-term basis.

Probe Into Times-Metro Deal
The Justice Department said that it had begun an antitrust investigation into the planned investment by The New York Times Company in Boston Metro.

FCC Commish: More Indie TV
A member of the Federal Communications Commission called on media gatekeepers to set aside a quarter or more of their prime-time hours for independent TV producers. Boston Globe: Stations stay tuned for changes after Powell's FCC exit.

New AMI Celeb WeeklyCEO David Pecker said the new mag will be called Celebrity Living Weekly. Meanwhile, rumors swirl that a European suitor is sizing up the company for a buyout.

Palestinian PM Wants Free Media
The Palestinian Authority's Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has instructed Palestine TV to refrain from the long-standing practice of heaping praise on Palestinian leaders.

Knight Ridder Eyes Free Tabs
Newspaper publisher Knight Ridder Inc. is considering launching free dailies and smaller, tabloid-size editions of its papers to boost readership, CEO Tony Ridder said.

The O'Credibility Factor
The lawyer representing Judge Ernest Murphy in his lawsuit against the Boston Herald used a reporter's appearance on The O'Reilly Factor to attack his credibility.

Sirius Ad Plan
Mel Karmazin, who made his career in media as a hard-charging ad salesman, told investors yesterday he's getting serious about ramping up ad sales at Sirius Satellite Radio.

Reporters Too Polite?
"I think [reporters] have to begin to assert their right to ask the question and to get it answered," says Bill Kovach, the man who heads the Committee of Concerned Journalists.

Aping America
In publishing, where imitation is one way to climb the best-seller list, the search is on for the next America (The Book)—or at least something like it.

Fake Commercials Spread Quickly on Web
Viral marketing, in which ads spread online as people share them, has become an intriguing strategy for marketers trying to look beyond traditional commercials.

Flash! Hersh a Lefty!
Max Boot: You don't have to scratch too deeply to find an enormous reservoir of left-wing bias in Seymour Hersh's writing.

Overhyping Blogs
Jack Shafer: The alleged divide between the old media and this new whippersnapper media of blogs has never seemed real to me.

Journos Under Subpoena
Rachel Smolkin: Journalists have been barraged by a spate of subpoenas to identify confidential sources. Can the media fight back? Does the public care?

Blogs to Bucks
Adam Penenberg: Like many blog writers, David Hauslaib figured he could take his sharp-toothed commentary and turn it into a for-profit online publishing operation.

Nipplegate Trauma?
Parody: As we approach the one-year anniversary, a study finds millions of children were traumatized by a partially nude female breast during last year's Super Bowl halftime show.

—David S. Hirschman