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NBC's Marketplace Miscues (Mediaweek)
The network appears to have hampered its ability to bring in more upfront ad dollars by initially taking a hardline against dropping its cost-per-thousand viewer ad rates. Mediaweek: Cable lowers CPM ad rates.

Radio Free Ohio in the Clear (NYT)
Clear Channel, which many critics point to as most representative of the big business ruination of commercial radio, tried to dupe radio listeners by posing as an anticorporate pirate radio station. NYT: Clear Channel Music is lowering the price of tickets to concerts.

Rather Contrite (Variety)
After receiving a standing ovation at the Investigative Reporters and Editors conference, Dan Rather admitted he had improperly defended September's controversial 60 Minutes II report. AP via Newsday: Dan Rather said "Deep Throat" showed the importance of investigative journalism and the judicious use of anonymous sources.

Jolie Threatens Journos (Page Six)
First Amendment be damned! Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are making writers who interview them sign a contract to not ask questions regarding her personal relationships. If you break it, Jolie will sue you.

Slain for Speaking Out (Time)
Why was journalist Samir Kassir blown to pieces by a bomb planted beneath the driver's seat of his gray Alfa Romeo? Because he was the most outspoken critic of Syria's stranglehold over Lebanon. AP viaE&P: Thousands in Beirut mourn Kassir as he is laid to rest.

Deep Pockets for Clearing 'Throat' (Press Democrat)
Joan Felt explains why family members urged her father, Watergate's "Deep Throat," to reveal his identity: "My son, Nick, is in law school and he'll owe $100,000 by the time he graduates." NYT: The question for many journalists last week was not the use of "Deep Throat" as a secret source, but rather: How did the news media's image slip so badly? Marketwatch: Felt's unexpected disclosure was the perfect story for our times, writes Jon Friedman. NYT: Watergate has become a modern Horatio Alger story, a real-life fairy tale, an inspiring ode for mediacentric college types, writes David Brooks. NYP: At Book Expo, "Throat" book proposal is recast as a multi-generational saga focusing on three generations of the Felt family. WaPo: Mark Felt's revelation provided a needed reminder that sometimes reporters have no other way to ferret out vital information than by promising anonymity, writes Howard Kurtz. USAT: After Watergate, young reporters thought unnamed sources made them mysterious and powerful, writes Philip Meyer. NY Sun: Revenge Of The Sith is a marvel of motivational integrity compared to Revenge Of The Felt, the concluding chapter in that other Seventies saga, Watergate, writes Mark Steyn. USAT: "Throat" puts sourcing issue out in the open. Guardian: Graydon on landing the scoop of the century—and how much it cost. CSM: The role "Deep Throat" played in the Watergate drama had more to do with a parable about anonymity than it did with the history of events. Time: Questions persist over Felt's motivations and how valuable a source he really was in the Watergate scandal. Newsweek: Why "Deep Throat" matters today.

Madame Governator Moonlighting for NBC? (NYT)
The author of a book on Arnold Schwarzenegger was in talks to appear on two NBC shows. But then, he says, former Dateline reporter and California governess Maria Shriver got involved.

Blogebrity to Target Blog Biggies (Boston Globe)
A website was launched last month to advertise a forthcoming print magazine, which was to have covered such well-known bloggies as Matt Drudge, Mickey Kaus, Ana Marie Cox and Nick Denton. Guardian: In America, blogs are shaping the political landscape like never beforel. Owen Gibson investigates their British counterparts. SF Chron: What's taken citizen journalism to the next level is how easy it has become.

Wenner Min-imizing Janice's Efforts? (Page Six)
Janice Min, the tireless Us Weekly editrix, is involved in torturous contract negotiations with publisher Jann Wenner of Wenner Media, who is allegedly trying to "cheap" her.

Wife: Jailed Reporter a Chinese Patriot (NYT)
A prominent reporter detained by China as a spy worked behind the scenes to help Beijing improve relations with Taiwan and Hong Kong, his wife said in an open letter to China's president, Hu Jintao.

ESPN to Market Branded TV Sets (NYT)
The sports network, which has capitalized on its own popularity with a line of brand-extended merchandise may place its name on television sets as well as television events.

Gore to Take 'Citizen Journalism' to Cable (SF Chron)
A San Francisco startup fronted by former Vice President Al Gore is soliciting videos from the public to broadcast on its cable channel, which is expected to go live in August.

Morning Gory (Salon)
Rebecca Traister: Desperate to turn the Good Morning America vs. Today ratings battle into a catfight, the press has all but ripped Katie Couric and Diane Sawyer's dresses off and tossed them in a swimming pool. How tedious.

CNN to Replace Top Execs (B&C)
The cable news network is expected to name broadcast news veterans as executive producers on primetime shows Anderson Cooper 360 and Paula Zahn Now.

Oprah: Sound, No Fury (NYT)
There was celebration at the Random House booth at BookExpo America after Oprah Winfrey announced the selection of three William Faulkner novels as the summer selection for her popular book club.

'Nudge': Eisner By Any Other Name... (NYP)
Roy Disney still appears phantom-like after dark to roam the byways of his own tortured soul in search of things to blame on Michael Eisner.

Iraqi Journos in the Crosshairs (WaPo)
Iraq is adjusting uneasily to its newfound press freedoms. At least 85 journalists and other news employees—the vast majority of them Iraqis—have been killed in the country since March 2003.

Have Camera, Will Hide in Bushes (Slate)
How do the paparazzi sell their photos? Most turn their sometimes-lurid snapshots over to a celebrity photo agency, which in turn sells them off to the highest bidder.

Bloody Beeb Braces for Barrage (Guardian)
The BBC will likely be in for some flak this summer over a documentary that shows animals being slaughtered. Animal welfare is arguably one of the most sensitive subjects for the British public.

Chicago Media Slammed for, Uh, Reporting News (Chicago Tribune via Chicago Sports)
Rick Morrissey: Every once in a while, tired of being bludgeoned beyond recognition, we wretched media types gather up enough strength to ask if, perhaps, we aren't being treated a touch unfairly.

What We're Missing (NYDN)
John Leo: As distrust of the press grows, news articles are relentlessly scrutinized for bias, but more attention needs to be paid to stories that are simply ignored.

When You Wish Upon TV (Time)
James Poniewazik: Need surgery? Can't afford college? House too small? If you've got a sad story, the networks would love to help.

Bradley on Your Dial (Newsweek)
Bill Bradley's new radio show covers frog-jumping, fast cars and folk tales. Just don't ask him about politics.

What eBay Could Learn from Craigslist (NYT)
Until recently, Craigslist was the overlooked underachiever from that fertile class of 1995 start-ups.

The New Music Promotion: Word of Blog (NYT)
The blog Music for Robots recently released a compilation CD featuring 19 unsigned and independent-label bands. The release represents a break from the way most music blogs operate.

—David S. Hirschman