Cronkite: Dan's Exit Overdue (AP)
"It surprised quite a few people at CBS and elsewhere that, without being able to pull up the ratings beyond third in a three-man field, that they tolerated his being there for so long," the legendary newsman told CNN. NYT: An anchor leaves as a reporter re-emerges. Slate: It's not too late to save CBS News, but Anderson Cooper isn't the answer, writes Jack Shafer. Boston Globe: ''I am independent and fiercely independent," claims Rather in an exit interview with Mark Jurkowitz. Independent: Rather signs off to the sound of score-settling.

Martha Rallies Troops (NYT)
Stewart delivered a post-prison message to her company's employees on Monday that promised a new purpose for her media empire. Chicago Sun-Times: Martha projects empathy as she overhauls image. NYP: Martha's critics see dim future for mags.

FishbowlDC in the House (AP via Newsday)
With an official credential hanging from his neck, Mediabistro's Garrett M. Graff stepped into the White House briefing room yesterday as perhaps the first blogger to cover the daily press briefings. E&P: "Gannon" on a blogger in the briefing room.

Koyen Out at New York Press (Page Six)
Editor-in-chief Jeff Koyen quit abruptly yesterday over last week's cover story mocking ailing Pope John Paul II, and branded his former bosses at the free weekly "weenies" and "little spineless turds" for forcing him out. E&P: Press publisher claims he isn't a weenie.

Times to Launch Thursday Style Section (Dow Jones via Excite)
The paper will create a mid-week cousin of the Sunday Styles, which is set to debut on April 14, and will also redesign its Business Day section.

U.S. Denies Targeting Italian Journo (SFC)
The White House on Monday said it was "absurd" for a former hostage in Iraq to charge that U.S. military forces may have deliberately targeted her car as she was being rushed to freedom. AP via E&P: Shooting of Italian journo sparks interest in other similar incidents.

Top Miramax Books Exec Out (NYP)
Jonathan Burnham is jumping ship from the Miramax Books unit that he's headed since its inception in 1999 to an imprint at HarperCollins.

McGraw-Hill to Buy J.D. Power & Associates (LAT)
The acquisition is part of the media company's strategy to diversify into businesses that aren't as dependent on ads. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Black Boosts Offer to Take Hollinger Private (Guardian)
Conrad Black, the fallen media tycoon, yesterday increased his offer to buy the listed holding company Hollinger Inc. and take it out of the glare of public and regulatory scrutiny.

Doubting Times' Secret Leaks (Guerilla News Network)
Russ Baker: With the growing evidence of the Bush Administration's effort to control and spin the news, put out false stories, and anoint fake reporters, it's apparent that few insider revelations or leaks of any kind should be taken at face value.

Newsday Circ Drops (Newsday)
The newspaper's circulation on weekdays and Saturdays fell 2 percent during a six-month period last year compared with the same time in 2003, and Sunday sales were off by 8.4 percent.

Sarah Jessica Parker, HBO Ink Deal (Newsday)
The star of the hit HBO comedy Sex and the City that ended last year has signed a two-year deal to develop and produce series and other programming for the premium cable channel through her production company.

Why Are Big Media Silent on 'Gannon' Flap? (LAT)
John Aravosis: I can think of three possible reasons the mainstream media remains largely silent about White House press room flap. (1) Trepidation about gays, sex and power. (2) Reverse liberal guilt. (3) Blogophobia.

Liquor Industry Bares Ad Review Board (NYT)
Stuart Elliott: Hoping to show it can police itself, the liquor industry is for the first time offering a look behind the scenes at how it handles complaints about advertising.

ACLU Backs Fired Student Editor (LAT)
Civil rights lawyers have entered the fray over the actions of an Orange County student journalist, urging school district officials to reverse their decision to punish her for an article published in a campus newspaper.

Same Name No Go (Boston Globe)
The nonprofit that publishes the quarterly magazine CommonWealth filed a complaint yesterday against Niche Media for trademark infringement. Niche Media plans to launch a glossy upscale magazine named Boston Commonwealth.

Media Helped Police Catch BTK Killer (AP via Kansas City Star)
When the BTK serial killer emerged after more than two decades of silence, he did so with a letter to The Wichita Eagle, placing the newspaper in the delicate position of deciding what to tell police—and what to tell its readers.

Prominent Nepal Journo Freed (BBC)
Police in Nepal have released prominent journalist, Kanak Mani Dixit, after nearly five hours of detention.

—David S. Hirschman