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2 Fox News Journalists Kidnapped in Gaza (AP)
Masked Palestinian gunmen ambushed a car carrying a Fox News crew in Gaza City on yesterday and kidnapped American reporter Steve Centanni and New Zealand cameraman Olaf Wiig. Major militant groups in Gaza denied connection to the incident; there was no immediate word of demands made. TVNewser: FNC senior VP John Moody's internal message to Fox News personnel about the kidnapping.

David Blum Named Editor of Village Voice (FishbowlNY)
Ending a grueling search process that included the hiring and unhiring of Erik Wemple from the Washington City Paper and the firing of Doug Simmons amidst a fabricated-quotes scandal, the Village Voice has settled on veteran journalist David Blum to take the top spot on the masthead. Eat The Press: Like a Spinal Tap drummer, the Village Voice editor's position has been rather perilous of late.

FCC Asking Local Stations About Use of Video News Releases (WaPo)
The Federal Communications Commission has sent letters to 77 television broadcasters, asking whether their stations had properly labeled "video news releases" — video press releases that sometimes are aired and presented as news reports — before broadcasting them.

Jill Carroll's Story: Part 2 (CSM)
"One moment I'd be sure they were going to kill me. The next I'd think they were going to let me go, that it was only a matter of time. Overall, I just wanted it to be over with, whatever 'it' was going to be. I remember being in a hurry to get done with it from the moment it began."

Center of Attention, Couric Says She Just Wants to Do Her Job (WaPo)
Howard Kurtz: Because Couric is both the first woman to serve as a solo nightly news anchor and a big-time celebrity, some are casting her debut as the biggest event of the fall television season. She is armed with some new ideas to jazz up an evening news format that sometimes seems set in concrete. Page Six: Couric's CBS expense account isn't as fat as it was when she hosted the Today show on NBC. NYDN: Couric's willing to go into the field as anchor, but only if it'll advance story, she says.

Billionaire Peltz Buys Stake in Tribune (Reuters)
Nelson Peltz, the billionaire investor in the midst of a proxy fight with the H.J. Heinz Co, has bought a stake in newspaper publisher Tribune Co. Peltz bought about 2.83 million shares in Tribune during the second quarter, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Icahn Ups Stake in Time Warner (NYP)
Carl Icahn is back at Time Warner's gate. The famed corporate raider, who earlier this year very publicly pushed for a breakup of the world's largest media company before backing off, boosted his stake in the company in the second quarter by more than 8 percent.

AMI Gets Postponement on Financial Restatements (NYP)
As new Chief Financial Officer Carlos Abaunza attempts to bring order to beleaguered tabloid publisher American Media's chaotic accounting history, its bondholders have extended today's deadline for its results restatement to Oct. 31 — in return for a 1/8 point interest-rate hike.

Advertisers Trace Paths Users Leave on Internet (NYT)
"Search behavior is the closest thing we have to a window onto people's intent," said Jeff Marshall, a senior vice president of Starcom IP, an advertising agency. "When people are gathering information to make a choice, that means they are often going to spend money."

Press Corps Relocated Outside of White House (AP)
For the next nine months or so, reporters will cover President Bush from offices on two floors of the White House conference center across Pennsylvania Avenue from the West Wing. White House officials arranged for the building of temporary offices for news outlets, and set up a new briefing room.

October 1 Is Prototype Day for Portfolio (MIN)
Around the beginning of October, Condé Nast Business Media president David Carey will have a mockup ready for the advertising community. Since June 5th, Carey has personally visited 270 potential advertisers and agencies to explain the concept. WWD: Sibling rivalry brewing at Condé Nast?

CNN International Snubs Israeli Civilians (YNet)
Yaakov Lappin: A highly unbalanced in-depth report from Israel and Lebanon mostly ignores plight of Israeli civilians and portrays Israelis as soldiers and politicians in suits, while coverage from Lebanon features in-depth interviews with Lebanese civilians and images of children and ruins.

Film Critics' Voices Become a Whisper (LAT)
It's no secret that critics have lost influence in recent years. A recent poll found that among 18- to 24-year-olds, only 3% said reviews were the most important factor in their movie-going decision making. For their part, the studios insist critics still matter, but only for adult dramas, not youth fare.

TV Undid His Father, So Romney Stays on Script (Boston Globe)
Neil Swidey: The rap on Massachusetts governor and possible Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney is that he's scripted, safe, and skin-deep. But if you saw your dad lose his shot at the presidency because of a single television interview you might watch what you say, too.

Media Guy's Not So Frequently Asked Questions (AdAge)
Simon Dumenco: FAQs (frequently asked questions) are so very impersonal, so very Web 1.0. That's why, every few months, Media Guy serves up NSFAQs, which, in this age of Me Media, are designed to answer hyper-specific queries that were sent in as little as once — or not at all.