Schieffer to Fill Dan's Seat, For Now (USAT)
Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer is all but certain to be named interim anchor on The CBS Evening News when Dan Rather steps down next month. NYO: Why CNN and CBS News should merge, according to Joe Hagan. Washington Times: Roger Mudd says Dan Rather spread himself too thin.

U.S. Journos Fare Well on Ethics Test (USAT)
Despite widespread public opinion to the contrary, a new study finds that journalism is one of the most morally developed professions in the country, ranking behind only seminarians, physicians, and medical students.

Iger Revs Up Disney Investors (NYP)
Walt Disney Co. president Robert Iger, the only internal candidate to replace CEO Michael Eisner, told investors yesterday that the company must foster creativity, embrace technology, and grow internationally. NYDN: Sumner Redstone won't intervene for Michael Eisner in DisneyWar: The Battle for the Magic Kingdom, the controversial book about to be published about Disney. Newsday: Disney sets sights on Asian markets.

Times Scribe Spoils Movie Ending (NYP)
Movie industry reporter Sharon Waxman stands accused of spoiling the plot of the Oscar-nominated Million Dollar Baby in a story that ran across the top of the Arts section on Monday. Chicago Sun-Times: Critics have no right to play spoiler, writes Roger Ebert.

Mass. Sportswriter in Plagiarism Probe (E&P)
The Worcester Telegram & Gazette summoned home its New England Patriots beat writer after learning that he may have plagiarized a column from an article previously posted on the Sports Illustrated website.

Just Say No to All Jacko, All the Time (CBS MarketWatch)
Jon Friedman: It's time to put a halt to the endless yakking about Michael Jackson, especially on television's so-called "news" programs. Leave it to Court TV, the tabloids, and "The Smoking Gun."

Education Big Defends Stance on 'Buster' (Toledo Blade)
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings yesterday defended her reprimand of a children's television show featuring same-sex parents, saying issues of sexuality and lifestyle should be introduced by parents.

Do Bloggers Deserve Press Pass? (CSM)
Randa Dotinga: An Apple lawsuit against the operators of fan websites stirs debate on whether bloggers can claim legal protections.

Radar Detected (NYP)
Maer Roshan finally has a chance to spend some of Mort Zuckerman's money on the soon-to-be-relaunched Radar magazine.

TV Porn to be Wild (LAT)
Adelphia Communications Corp. has quietly become the nation's only leading cable operator to offer the most explicit category of hard-core pornography.

French PM Fuels Fears About Missing Reporter (Guardian)
Jean-Pierre Raffarin told Parliament that Florence Aubenas' disappearance was not a kidnapping like that of two other French journalists who were freed before Christmas, fueling fears that she is being held for ransom.

Plame Case Prosecutor Never Rests (WaPo)
Patrick Fitzgerald's assiduous demands for answers from journalists alarms critics who believe he has created the greatest confrontation between the government and the press in a generation.

Backdoor to Times Nups (NYO)
Tom Scocca: As with everything bridal and Timesian, few explanations were forthcoming about the paper's plan to add a section of paid wedding announcements to the Sunday Styles section.

Reporter's Big Dig (VV)
Mississippi reporter Jerry Mitchell is still hunting for clues about a series of racist murders, but does a verdict mean the case is closed?

$5000 an Idea, Full Service (New York Press)
Michelangelo Signorile: Both Armstrong Williams and Maggie Gallagher are no-talent vipers who prostitute themselves as members of groups (blacks and women) into which conservatives would love to drive a wedge.

Longtime Anchor Bill Shadel Dies (AP via NYT)
The TV journalist covered D-Day for CBS Radio during World War II, became an ABC television anchor, and moderated the third presidential debate between Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy in 1960.

BBC Journo Dies Days After Ending 'Tumor Diary' (AP via SJ Mercury News)
37-year-old Ivan Noble, a British Broadcasting Corp. journalist who chronicled his battle with brain cancer in an online diary, has died, according to the network.

Sy-Chic? (New York Press)
Matt Taibbi: An imagined discussion between Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Under-Secretary Douglas Feith upon reading Seymour Hersh's recent New Yorker article about Iran.

—David S. Hirschman