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Iraq Payola Inquiry Grows (E&P)
Members of Congress are calling for an investigation into allegations that the U.S. has been paying Iraqi papers to run good-news stories.

Salon: The Little Webzine that Could (Merc. News)
As the pioneering online magazine prepares to celebrate its 10-year anniversary, its backers call it "a small but courageous voice" and a "hipper, internet version of The New Yorker." But more than anything, they marvel at its staying power in the uncertain age of the dot-com

Miller Apologizes, Sort Of (BBC)
Former NY Times reporter Judith Miller has given an interview to British television in which she says that she's "deeply sorry" that her stories "turned out to be incorrect."

Tina: I Believe Bob Woodward (WaPo)
He "probably did see it as gossip," writes Tina Brown. "The problem is that when Woodward hears political gossip it's not a couple of lowly hacks at the office water cooler."

Icahn Warns TW Board on AOL Sale (Reuters)
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn says he will hold Time Warner's board members "personally responsible" if they forge a deal to sell all or part of AOL too cheaply. (NYT): Potential conflict of interest in Icahn's Lazard retention.

Black Crony Disses Court (NYP)
The former Hollinger executive described as the architect of the alleged financial fraud at Conrad Black's newspaper giant failed to appear at his arraignment yesterday, prompting prosecutors to warn
extradition proceedings could begin soon.

Al-Jaz D-G Demands Answers (Guardian)
Al-Jazeera director-general Wadah Khanfar says he's still waiting for an explanation from Downing Street about allegations that Bush tried to bomb his network's operations. Danny Schechter: Why won't the US media probe the bomb claims?

Couric quiet as NBC, CBS make changes at top (USAT)
Peter Johnson: as speculation continues about whether Today star Katie Couric will stay at NBC News or leave for CBS, her current employer gave Couric a new boss Tuesday.

Struggling KR Publisher Warns Staff, Unions (Inky)
Philadelphia Inquirer publisher Joe Natoli tells staffers that parent company Knight Ridder is freezing all new spending and suspending union negotiations while the board "considers strategic options, including a possible sale." WSJ: Trio of possible bidders mooted.

Craig Just Wants to Be Loved (SF Weekly)
The much-loved craigslist.com is taking millions from Bay Area newspapers and causing layoffs that adversely affect coverage. And its founder's well-intentioned support of citizen journalism has a slim chance of fixing the problem.

Who Invited Golf Digest? (NYP)
This year's Condé Nast Christmas party at the Four Seasons was the first to stretch beyond traditional top-bracket titles such as Vogue and The New Yorker and include some Fairchild publications. "It's gotten too big," said one veteran.

Cable Companies Fear Pick-n-Mix (AdAge)
An a la carte cable network distribution model is closer to becoming a reality, but many cable executives are leery.

What Michael Did Next (LAT)
Hollywood's favorite parlor game: Where will former Disney boss Michael Eisner land?

WWJW: What Would Jesus Write? (Christian Examiner)
Christian journalists can bring "a basic moral compass" to their work, says Washington Times White House correspondent Bill Sammon. HuffPo: Eric Boehlert believes Sammon misplaced his moral compass a long time ago.

Paris Hilton's Ken Doll (Radar)
Us Weekly's west coast editor Ken Baker can't get enough of Paris, wags say.

TV + Computer = Viiv (WaPo)
The race is on to merge the two most powerful entertainment boxes in the home, televisions and computers. Intel is calling the new technology Viiv. And in case you're wondering, it rhymes with "five".

Doonesbury Bush Frat Torture Strip 'Fact Not Fiction' (E&P)
Garry Trudeau says Sunday's cartoon strip, which had a young George Bush defending the burning of Yale University fraternity initiates with a brand in 1967, was "totally fact-based," adding that "Bush's comment in panel seven is a direct quote."

Garfield: Apocalypse Soon (Ball State Daily News)
NPR's On the Media co-host Bob Garfield says the corporate media giants currently in operation will give collapse and give way to less expensive outlets and more "citizen journalism."

Orlando Sentinel Lays Off 21 (Orlando Sentinel)
The Florida paper says that, like other dailies, it is struggling to cope with declining circulation and rising costs.

Ungrateful Dead (LAT)
Angry fans of the iconic band have threatened a boycott after being told they can't get free downloads any more. NYT: The Dead may be reconsidering the move.

—David S. Hirschman