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Olbermann Carves Out His Anti-Fox Niche (NYT)
He is either the leading man of MSNBC or its leading agent provocateur, but Keith Olbermann has no problem embracing either role. The network is aggressively positioning his program Countdown With Keith Olbermann as the centerpiece of its latest effort to become more competitive.

Syndicate Doesn't Believe Coulter Plagiarized (E&P)
"Universal Press Syndicate is confident in the ability of Ms. Coulter, an attorney and frequent media target, to know when to make attribution and when not to. We also have confidence in our 35-year history of detecting fraudulent and unethical work," read a statement released by Universal.

Protesters Outside NYT Offices Call for Government Prosecution (NY Sun)
At a rally outside the New York Times' office last night, almost 100 protesters called on the government to prosecute the newspaper for its recent decision to publish "national security secrets relating to our government's financial monitoring programs to track down terrorists." Slate: "The Bush people will make a huge mistake if they continue with their campaign against the news media," writes Christopher Hitchens. "But the New York Times in particular should admit that, by endorsing the costly and futile intrusions of Patrick Fitzgerald, it helped to fashion a whip for its own back."

CBS Will Revise Profanity Opposition (B&C)
"We disagree with the [FCC's] filing," CBS said in a statement, "but so the underlying remand petition can be decided solely on the merits rather than a procedural dispute, CBS will file a revised opposition to the FCC's remand motion deleting the limited references to which the FCC objects."

MSNBC Revamps Carlson's Show (Eat the Press)
The Situation With Tucker Carlson will be undergoing a major overhaul, starting with its name. The show will now be called simply Tucker after its host and will focus more on Carlson's personality — which means less use of commentators like Rachel Maddow and Max Kellerman. TVNewser: MSNBC has also increased the size of the show's staff.

Time Warner Still a Thorn in Case's Side (NYP)
Time Warner is still a headache for former AOL frontman Steve Case, who is readying a new Web site that would allow people to manage all the details of their healthcare. A TW-backed rival, Waterfront Media, is getting a jump on him by having launched a rival site on July 1.

Media Groups Line Up for Wireless Auction (Reuters)
As U.S. telephone carriers move into the television business, media conglomerates are eyeing ways to grab valuable wireless airwaves. The FCC will begin auctioning off hundreds of licenses for advanced wireless services on Aug. 9 in a sale analysts have said could raise between $8 billion to $15 billion.

Aiming for 'Balance,' Media Often Miss Details, Truth (CSM)
Dante Chinni: Just because there are differences of opinion doesn't mean both sides are equally correct. When reporters don't make the effort to sort through the evidence and simply fall back on "this side says this, and that side says that," they are being lazy.

Bushies Ready Budget Deficit Spin for the Press (CJR Daily)
Felix Gillette: You can't teach the White House's Office of Management and Budget new tricks, but it turns out you also can't get it to drop its old tricks, especially when the trick in question is OMB's deeply-ingrained reflex of eagerly wagging its tail every time it reports on the federal budget deficit.

NYT's Kuczynski Talks About Her Plastic Surgery 'Addiction' in New Book (WWD)
Writer Alex Kuczynski has had an eye lift; injections of collagen "derived from cadavers" and "fetal foreskin cells"; treatments with Juvederm, "a form of hyaluronic acid available in Europe"; Botox "at least twice a year"; a Restylane lip plump, and liposuction.

Family of Slain Al-Jazeera Reporter to Sue President Bush (Raw Story)
The family of an Al Jazeera reporter killed during a U.S. bombing in Iraq in 2003 will sue President Bush. Tareq Ayyoub was killed on April 8, 2003, during a U.S. strike of the building in which the Arab-language TV station was housed. Ayyoub was on the roof of the building for a live broadcast.

Cosmo Editor's Not-So-Subtle Sex Tips (AMNY)
Julia Allison: Cosmopolitan editor Kate White's How to Set His Thighs on Fire was an accidental book. Although White is a veteran author with six titles (including the bestselling Bailey Weggins mystery series) under her fashionable belt, she never even wrote a proposal for Thighs.

A Year In, He Knows 5 Things Kinda, Sorta, Maybe for Sure (AdAge)
Simon Dumenco: When I look back at my, uh, legacy as a professional media/cultural opinionist, it strikes me that the longer I stay in this racket, the less I know for sure. Basically, in media, nobody — not even Oprah — really knows anything anymore.

Is the Web Changing Journalism? (Chicago Tribune)
Charles Madigan: A set of values has evolved that is so market-driven that it supports abandoning a fundamental journalism obligation, telling people what is happening in their world, from the front porch to the most distant corner of the Earth, whether they are comfortable with it or not.

Sally Field Joins New ABC Fall Drama (Reuters)
The Oscar-winning actress has joined the cast of ABC's upcoming drama series Brothers & Sisters. The family drama centers on five adult siblings, played by Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths, Balthazar Getty, Dave Annable and Matthew Rhys. Field will play their mother.