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HP Said to Have Studied Spying on Newsrooms (NYT)
Hewlett-Packard conducted feasibility studies in February on the possibility of planting spies posing as clerical employees or cleaning crews in the San Francisco offices of CNET and the Wall Street Journal, an individual briefed on the company's review of the operation said.

Emails Show White House Sought to Control Scientists' Interactions With Media (Salon)
In February, there were press reports about the Bush administration exercising message control on the subject of climate change. At the time, Bush administration officials denied it, but a large batch of emails obtained shows that the White House was, in fact, controlling access to scientists and vetting reporters.

Times Draws Ragged Line Between Fact and Opinion (NYO)
As of this morning, the New York Times has instituted a sweeping but subtle redesign. Straight news will remain laid out in justified columns, with even margins on the left and right. Stories that have been colored by analysis, commentary or authorial whimsy will all receive the layout previously reserved for columns: a straight left margin and a ragged right one.

News Corp. Planning Chinese Version of MySpace (FT)
Rupert Murdoch said that his wife, Wendy Deng, was working with senior News Corp. executives to help bring the company's popular MySpace social networking site to China. "We have to make MySpace a very Chinese site," Murdoch said at a media conference organized by Goldman Sachs.

Current TV, Yahoo! To Partner Up on Web Videos (NYO)
The coupling will mean a higher profile for Al Gore's tiny, quirky 24-hour network, and it should drive traffic to Current's already bustling Web site, where independent video producers post finished programs, called pods, for review and critique. NYT: The deal is notable because Gore has been an early and visible adviser to the top executives of Google. WSJ: The initiative will make its debut with a "Buzz" channel showing a daily feature of professionally developed programming based on topics popular among users of Yahoo's search engine.

Hartford Courant Forbids Bureau Chief to Appear on VOA (NY Sun)
The paper has ordered its Washington bureau chief, veteran journalist David Lightman, to stop his appearances on a weekly Voice of America program because of concerns that the modest payments involved could be seen as a conflict of interest. VOA pays $100 to guests on each show and $150 to the moderator.

Sirius Denies Rumors That Stern May Return to Terrestrial Radio (Reuters)
Sirius Satellite Radio said that reports suggesting that shock jock Howard Stern was planning a return to mainstream radio were "wrong." A spokesman said: "There has never been any discussion of Howard Stern in any way, shape, or form being anything but exclusive to Sirius."

Tribune Investor Sues 8 Directors (LAT)
A disgruntled investor has sued eight Tribune Co. directors, alleging they hurt the company's shareholders by refusing to consider a sale of the Los Angeles Times and by pursuing a "suicide pill" stock repurchase program that has left the company saddled with $2.4 billion in additional debt. CJR Daily: As LAT-Tribune Co. standoff grows, bloggers take sides.

Financial Players, European Publishers Eying Time4Media (NYP)
The black books containing key financial data on the division's 18 magazines — which aren't expected to be released until the week of Oct. 2 — will reportedly show that the magazines have free cash flow in the range of $30 million. The company expects to fetch a price between $300 million to $400 million.

News Corp. May Bypass Web Portals (AP)
Rupert Murdoch told an investor conference yesterday that he didn't see a need to distribute programming or other News Corp. media content through Internet portals. "We're not sure the portal model is the way of the future at all," Murdoch said. "We think people are going straight to the sites."

Bewkes: AOL Move to Free Already Starting to Pay Off (NYP)
Time Warner President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Bewkes said AOL is attracting a steady stream of new users — as opposed to just former subscribers — lured by free email and other services. He said about 40 percent of new users were not former subscribers.

'Dramality' Wins Atoosa a Spot on Top Model (WWD)
Not content to let her tireless quest for brand extension lie dormant, Seventeen editor Atoosa Rubinstein will appear as a judge in the upcoming cycle of America's Next Top Model. With former partner ElleGirl out of commission, the CW network approached Seventeen magazine for its popular "dramality."

WaPo Stingy With Credit for Armitage Scoop? (Washingtonian)
Harry Jaffe: The Washington Post is notoriously stingy in crediting other media sources for breaking news, but it has twisted itself into a pretzel to avoid crediting Michael Isikoff and David Corn for their scoop that Richard Armitage was Robert Novak's original source for outing CIA agent Valerie Plame. AJR: Coverage of Armitage scoop gets a ho-hum from the press. Slate: Armitage was never "off the record."

NYT Finally Creates a Readable Online Newspaper (Slate)
Jack Shafer: About six months ago, I canceled my New York Times subscription because I had found the newspaper's redesigned Web site to be superior to the print Times. I've now abandoned the Web version for the New York Times Reader, a new computer edition that has entered general beta release.

Web Has Turned Exhibitionism Into Big Business (WaPo)
Robert J. Samuelson: To a point, the blogs and "social networking" sites represent new forms of electronic schmoozing — extensions of email and instant messaging. What's different is the undiluted passion for self-publicity. USAT: MySpace creates new rules of friend-etiquette for teens.