Mouse House Names Iger Big Cheese (LAT)
Walt Disney Co. directors tapped president Robert Iger to succeed chief executive Michael Eisner, writing the final chapter for an often stormy 21-year reign. LAT: Some question Disney exec search's legitimacy. NYT: Iger to take the reins in September. NYT: Loyal number two gets to try his hand. NYT: Eisner to bow without curtain call. USAT: Board voted unanimously to confirm Iger. NYP: Move puts Eisner out to pasture a year sooner than planned. Guardian: Disney shareholders launch protest. CNN: Iger's first priority is to deal with Pixar. WaPo: Low-key Iger sees opportunity for growth in Asia.

Anonymice on the Way Out (NYT)
The annual Project for Excellence in Journalism report on the state of the media says that the use of anonymous sources in newspapers has dropped significantly over the last year. USAT: Non-traditional media gaining ground, consumers. LAT: Study warns of "junk news" diet. E&P: Survey finds newspapers slipping, facing cutbacks. WaPo: Study finds no shortage of opinion on Fox News.

Real Replay in Hot List (Mediaweek)
The Adweek/Mediaweek Hot List of best-performing magazines taps Real Simple for top honors, as Time Inc. takes three of the top-10 titles. Mediaweek: Us Weekly's Janice Min is best editor. Mediaweek: Exec team of the year goes to Newsweek pair.

Bushies Pre-Package the News (NYT)
Under the Bush Administration, the federal government has aggressively used a well-established tool of public relations: the prepackaged, ready-to-serve news report.

American Idol Fan Favorite Quits (Variety)
An early frontrunner in this season's American Idol has dropped out of the competition just days after making it into show's final round of 12.

Can Papers End Free Ride Online? (NYT)
As the battle for advertising dollars intensifies, newspapers are looking for new ways to make money, including charging the visitors to their websites.

Media Persecution? (LAT)
David Shaw: One of the most interesting recent theories argues the Bush Administration has embarked upon a determined, systematic campaign to "decertify" the professional press corps.

Writers Down to the Wire (NYT)
The writers of Lost, The O.C., 24, and Desperate Housewives are all trying to devise the perfect season finale—with little time to spare.

Still Saying Nothing (Salon)
Eric Boehlert: Former Bush White House press secretary Ari Fleischer's memoir is long on praise for his boss and criticism of the "liberal" media, and short on revelations. CJR: Fleischer has "a lot of sympathy" for reporters.

Women Not Dishing it Out? (NYT)
Maureen Dowd: I have no doubt there are plenty of brilliant women who would bring grace and guts to our nation's Op-Ed pages. We just need to find and nurture them.

The Director's Cuts (Guardian)
After winning round one of the license fee battle, BBC director general Mark Thompson steeled himself to fire thousands of staff; he believes more cuts and savings can be made without compromising program quality.

First Draft of History? Get Me Rewrite! (WSJ)
Bret Stephens: A historian searching for clues about the origins of many of the great stories of recent decades would find most contemporary journalism useless.

Scoping Out the Media Biz (Investor's Business Daily via Marketwatch)
Jon Friedman: Angela Kohler, the global media analyst of Federated Investors in Pittsburgh, is blissfully obsessed with the ever-changing media industry.

Late Night's Brit Wit (WaPo)
Since he took over nine weeks ago as host on The Late, Late Show, a post-Letterman, seldom-seen, insomniac's delight, Craig Ferguson has loved to go on about the exaggerated bleakness of his Scottish youth.

Mini TV Shows Come to Cell Phones (Chicago Sun-Times)
A new TV short form, known as "mobisodes," broadcasts original segments made for viewing on the small screen—"small" as in cell-phone small.

Russert to Be First Broadcast Journo at Gridiron (Washingtonian)
The 120-year-old Washington club the Gridiron group is allowing NBC star Tim Russert to take part this year; the members are granting him a special exemption to attend their satiric review.

The Most Exciting Job on Earth (Guardian)
Amanda Platell: The most important quality you need as a journalist is resilience. The workplace is so volatile, sackings so regular, you have to be able, as I have several times, to pick yourself up, dust yourself down and start all over again. But the opportunities are endless.

Russia Acquits Six on Journo Slay (Reuters)
Russia's Supreme Court ruling means efforts to secure a conviction in the Russian courts for the 1994 murder of Dmitry Kholodov have now been exhausted.

—David S. Hirschman