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Media Critic David Shaw Dies (LAT)
The Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles Times writer who set new standards for media criticism with his hard-hitting examinations of the American press died Monday evening. Mediabistro: 2003 Q&A with David Shaw. AP via Forbes: "He had real clout in the craft," said Jim McNaughton, former president of the Poynter Institute.

Murdoch Family Values (NYT)
A simmering debate over the trust that owns the family's 28.5 percent voting stake in News Corp. surfaced with the resignation last week of Rupert Murdoch's son, Lachlan. NYDN: Lachlan jumped off a leaking ship; the New York Post is hemorrhaging millions, sneers the competition. WSJ: Lachlan departure puts TV unit under the spotlight. Guardian: News Corp. turns its gaze toward Russia. Hollywood Reporter: There's no clear-cut solution for the company's future, writes Diane Mermigas. Revolution Mag: News Corp. to buy Australian property-listings site.

Gore's Current More Eclectic Than Electric (WaPo)
Hosted by a rigorously far-flung gaggle of hosts, the channel is reaching out aggressively to its audience for video submissions via its Web site. Mediaweek: Piggybacking on the popularity of the kind of short, "sticky" fare found on the Internet, Current presents its programming in two-to-seven-minute "pods." AP via Baltimore Sun: No party bias on Gore's TV venture. CNET: Current gets off to a rocky start—at least online.

Was J.Diddy About To Be Fired? (PR Week)
"The dirty little secret in [D.C.] was [Judy Miller] was about to be fired," former Justice Dept. official Mark Corallo says. "She should be sending Pat Fitzgerald a dozen roses and a thank-you note right now." WaPo: George Bush would have gone to war without Judith Miller, writes Richard Cohen.

Posner a Poseur? (Slate)
Jack Shafer: Sloppy writing like Judge Richard Posner's essay on journalism in the New York Times Book Review Sunday is enough to erode my trust in American jurisprudence. Corante: It's a relief to see someone on the federal bench thinking deeply, and openly, about media in times like these, writes Bob Cauthorn.

U.S. Gov't Suppressed Press Hiroshima Footage (E&P)
In the weeks following the atomic attacks almost 60 years ago, and then for decades afterward, the United States engaged in an airtight ban on all film shot in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the bombings.

Pentagon Apology for Press Release Anonymice (AP via WaPo)
The recent use of quotes from an anonymous Iraqi in two military news releases was an "egregious error," the Pentagon's top spokesman said in a memo aimed at preventing it from happening again.

Yahoo! to Use ABC, CNN Video Clips (NYP)
The Internet firm cut a deal yesterday to start offering free video news feeds supported by advertising, a part of the company's efforts at becoming a broader media company.

Imprisoned Journo Near Death (New York Sun)
Defying warnings from the Iran, the wife of journalist Akbar Ganji said she must appeal to the international community to save the life of her husband, who has been on a hunger strike for 53 days.

Early Rock Journo Al Aronowitz Dies (AP via Newsday)
The writer became a friend of such early counterculture luminaries as poet Allen Ginsberg and novelist Jack Kerouac, and famously introduced Bob Dylan to the Beatles.

Butterfield Bows Out (Boston Herald)
Fox Butterfield, who worked on the Pentagon Papers investigative team that won The New York Times a Pulitzer Prize, has accepted a buyout offer from the Gray Lady .

LexisNexis To Launch TV Search Engine (Crain's New York Business)
Critical Mention said its technology would allow LexisNexis users to search TV news video and clips. The function will be added to an existing service called LexisNexis AlaCarte by the end of the summer.

Radio Payola Probe Fallout Begins (Reuters)
Some Clear Channel program directors say they are now required to attach documentation to any merchandise received from labels, declaring it was not received in connection with providing airplay.

Toward a Free Press (Forbes)
Widely condemned by analysts and executives alike, free dailies have rapidly claimed a firm stake of the market, forcing beleaguered media companies to reconsider their initial reluctance.

Wizard Casts a Spell (NYT)
The glossy monthly magazine devoted to comic books has become as important to the industry as the caped crusader and the amazing arachnid.

Simon's Swag Bag (AdAge)
Simon Dumenco: Sadly, I didn't receive any chocolate, underwear or Funyons after my first column. I did, however, receive a sturdy canvas bag filled with money—actually, one copy of Money.

USA Tomorrow (AJR)
Rachel Smolkin: USA Today is more settled a year after fabrications by reporter Jack Kelley were exposed, but the paper's humiliation has galvanized efforts to shore up credibility.

China Bans Media Coverage of Disease Outbreak (AP via Miami Herald)
Chinese authorities have banned local reporters from visiting areas where an outbreak of a pig-borne disease has killed 34 farmers, ordering newspapers to use dispatches from the state news agency.

—David S. Hirschman

IN YESTERDAY'S MB BLOGS:

Auletta Thinks Couric Was "Lying To Herself" About The Runaway Bride Interview [TVNewser]
The best part of the New Yorker's Q&A with morning-show-war-writer Ken Auletta is at the end: "Couric told you that she believes it is her responsibility as a journalist to explore and talk seriously about issues "that people need to know about to be informed citizens." She then pursued an exclusive interview with Jennifer Wilbanks, the "runaway bride," and defended it as a 'terrific story.' Did you get a sense from any of the morning anchors that there was an internal conflict about what their journalistic mission is?"

A New 'Reliable Source' Come Fall? [FishbowlDC]
Harry Jaffe has news out of the Post's search for a new Reliable Source.

Robert Novak Speaks. Kind Of. [FishbowlNY]
Today Robert Novak breaks his silence on the Valerie Plame case, over two years since he outed Plame in his column and triggered the whole crazy imbroglio that has followed. Does he reveal whether he spoke to the Grand Jury? Does he shed light on those mysterious eight redacted pages? Does he bring us any closer to knowing what the heck Patrick Fitzgerald is investigating, anyway? Sadly, no.

From the Institute of Advanced Celebrity Behavior Study [FishbowlLA]
I hope there's a grad student out there writing a dissertation about the nexus between bad celebrity behavior, media coverage of bad celebrity behavior, and urban development: three forces that intersect in complex and interesting ways.

Just How Cool Can A Tower Be, Really, When You Think About It? [UnBeige]
The fact that we missed the biggest, awesomest, best ever architectural sensation to hit Chicago since the lighted things in the terminal-tunnels at O'Hare—which for some reason we're always finding ourselves in though we've never been to the city itself—just because we were stocking up on bratwurst and sauerkraut is, in a word, tragic.

Not So Fast [mbToolbox]
You love books, hence, you must have potential to be a book critic. Not so fast, four-eyes: to be a book critic, you still have to read, and read carefully, so if you don't have time to do so, book writing may not be for you. There are no magic secrets about skimming, no Princeton Review tips about just reading chapter headings. So if you don't have time to read, you should stay away from book writing. I asked two book critics, Lizzie Skurnick and Maud Newton, how they read.