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Idol Affair Shocker (AP)
A former American Idol contestant said that judge Paula Abdul, then 40, provided him with off-camera tips and assistance while he was a 22-year-old contestant, and said that during the competition he had an off-camera sexual relationship with Abdul. NYT: Abdul allegedly assisted Corey Clark in picking out songs he might sing. NYP: Abdul slipped contestant her phone number early in the competition and offered to be his "special friend." LAT: Fox acts to ward off Idol fallout by questioning the former contestant's motives. WaPo: Contestant sings, like a canary with an agent, writes Lisa de Moraes.

White House Pressured on Sourcing (NYT)
The Washington bureau chiefs at seven major news organizations are pressing the White House to curtail the use of background briefings. E&P: Scott McClellan tells Joe Strupp he'll end the practice if reporters quit using anonymous sources.

Daily Show's Colbert to Get Own Show (USAT)
Stephen Colbert, who plays a phony correspondent on the fake-news program, is getting his own show on Comedy Central. WSJ: Jon Stewart is a gifted and appealing comic, but he's hardly "fearless," writes Harry Stein. Mediaweek: Comedy Central launches late-night push.

PBS Unplugged (Slate)
Jack Shafer: Fears of a politicized Corporation for Public Broadcasting were first voiced not by the left but by President Richard Nixon. And now President Bush gives us a new reason to wean public broadcasting from the government teat. NYO: GOP on PBS is "must-flee TV," writes Joe Conason.

Journalism's Fallen Heroes (Boston Globe)
Editorial: No press can be free when reporters are routinely killed while doing their jobs. Last year, 78 brave journalists died covering the news, making 2004 the third-deadliest year for reporters since 1812. Reuters via Moscow Times: "It may never have been as dangerous to inform people," Reporters without Borders said in a statement.

Study: Marketers Switch to Online Ad Spending (Mediaweek)
According to an extensive new report from Forrester, nearly half of marketers plan to decrease spending in media such as magazines, direct mail, and newspapers in order to increase online ad spending in 2005.

Exclusive Dr. Phil-Pat O'Brien Transcript (Salon)
Parody: Thanks to a little sleuthing and gumshoe work, we got our hands on an in-house transcript of the interview, which is just as shocking as your powers of imagination might suggest! AP via USAT: O'Brien says he didn't go to rehab to avoid embarrassing stories about obscene telephone calls he made. NYDN: O'Brien says he was "out of control."

Savvy Move (NYP)
Sidney Frank, the one-time Grey Goose vodka liquor baron, has tapped former Avenue editor Jill Brooke to relaunch Travel Savvy.

Hollinger Directors to Pay $50M (Guardian)
A group of current and former directors of Hollinger International has agreed to settle a lawsuit claiming they failed to carry out their duties as board members.

Mega Viacom-pensation for Newbie Execs (VV)
The media conglomerate recently paid two admittedly green executives more than $50 million each for calendar year 2004, even as the company's stock value fell by 18 percent.

Boldface Banter at the White House Dinner (NYO)
Tom Scocca: Matt Drudge, in a festive red-banded fedora and a white shirt with the top two buttons undone, was speaking to a group that included Tucker Carlson and ABC news producer Chris Vlasto.

When Columnists Cry 'Jihad' (WaPo)
John McCandlish Phillips: I have never encountered anything remotely like the fear and loathing lavished on Christians by opinion-mongers in the past 40 days.

Neocon Mag The Public Interest to Fold (The Public Interest)
Irving Kristol: The publication, it should be said, transcended any political ideology, or even any political "disposition."

Cold Feet, Hot Story (Mediaweek)
Howard Kurtz: The runaway bride has turned into a runaway television embarrassment. A woman gets cold feet about a wedding, takes a powder for a few days, and producers turn it into the new national obsession?

Amid Scandals, Media Press On (Hearst Syndicate via Seattle P-I)
Marianne Means: We of the press have never pretended to be perfect, although we are often blind to our own failings.

Sex Doesn't Sell at MJ (Marketwatch)
Jon Friedman: Men's Journal comes across as a meeting of Esquire East Coast chic and Men's Health West Coast cool.

Chalabi Responds to CJR Article (CJR)
Ahmad Chalabi: You castigated journalists for accepting information from the Iraqi National Congress. But the Robb-Silberman WMD report says INC-related sources had a minimal impact on pre-war assessments.

Imus Intimidation (E&P)
Allan Wolper: The radio talk show host's recent rage against The Wall Street Journal wasn't the first time he has attacked a newspaper.

—David S. Hirschman