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U.S. Military Admits Planting News in Iraq (NYT)
The military acknowledged Friday in a briefing for a ranking Senate Republican that news articles written by American troops had been placed as paid advertisements in the Iraqi news media and not always properly identified. NYT via To the Point: Rejection letters for the Pentagon's vanity press, and a few sexier pitches from John Tierney. NYT via TruthOut: Thanks in large part to the case Bob Woodward found so inconsequential, everyone knows that much of the American press did just the same before the war—and, unlike those Iraqi newspapers or, say, Armstrong Williams, did so gratis, writes Frank Rich. USAT: Another credibility gap is widening in Iraq, writes Peter Johnson. AP via San Jose Mercury News: Bush "disturbed" by payments to Iraqi newspapers. LAT Editorial: Even if the payoffs don't violate the law, they violate ethics. Iraqis deserve newspapers, magazines and television broadcasts that tell them what is happening in their country in, shall we say, a fair and balanced way, without fear or favor. AP via Denver Post: Military officials defend U.S. stories in Iraqi media.

True Blue Howard (Newsweek)
As he heads to satellite radio, a re-energized Howard Stern is talking about a revolution. Like cable TV, satellite radio isn't subject to federal decency laws, so Stern will be free as the breeze. How far will he go? NYDN: Sirius loss of listeners for Howard. New York Mag: Stern free at last to be as gross as he wants to be.

'Cookie Monster' Returns to Windy City (NYT)
Michael Cooke, the editor-in-chief of the New York Daily News, announced his resignation Friday after less than a year at the paper. His last day will be Jan. 2.

Critic: Perky Power Isn't an Answer (SF Chron)
Tim Goodman: The truly sad part about the rumors of Katie Couric becoming anchor of the CBS Evening News is not that the end result would be Katie Couric as successor to Dan Rather and Walter Cronkite. It's this: Katie Couric is not a revolution. LAT via Chicago Tribune: Couric may make the move, but while nighttime may have the prestige, daytime's where the money is, writes Matea Gold

Wall Street Weighs Viacom Split (WSJ)
Sumner Redstone's bet that Viacom Inc., the media conglomerate he controls, will be worth more split into two companies is being put to the test today by Wall Street.

O, Dave, O, Dave (AP via Newsday)
David Letterman has learned the Power of Oprah: her Late Show appearance last Thursday earned him his biggest audience in more than a decade, as an estimated 13.5 million people stayed up late to watch Winfrey's first visit to Letterman in 16 years.

Financial Times Promotes Top Editor (Guardian)
The paper has named Dan Bogler, editor of the Lex column, as its new managing editor in the latest in a series of senior appointments by new editor Lionel Barber.

Did Trump Try to Dig Up Dirt on Times Reporter? (New York Mag)
In a peculiar act of media criticism, Donald Trump is telling people that he hired a private investigator to dig up dirt on New York Times reporter Timothy L. O'Brien, according to a source in Trump's office.

NBC's Williams on Top of the News (WaPo)
Howard Kurtz: From his first foreign foray as anchor, when he was summoned to cover the Asian tsunami, Brian Williams has been defined by disaster coverage, and has quieted critics who tended to dismiss him as an attractive lightweight.

ABC Looking for Market for 'Verified' Circ (Folio:)
Christopher Huen: The new "verified" category follows a round of rule changes regarding sponsored sales that the Audit Bureau of Circulations announced in July, hoping to reinforce advertiser confidence about circ figures after a string of public overstatements.

On Demand: Show Me the Money (NYT)
As an era of ordering TV shows at the push of a button gets underway, new challenges are clouding the landscape in the year ahead: What business models are going to work and who is going to get paid what?

Ads in Video Games Found Effective (LAT)
A new study shows that when advertisements are on screen long enough and are highly integrated into the game, they can make players feel more positive about a product.

Harper's After Lapham (New York Mag)
Kurt Andersen: The chronicler of the American twilight is going into semi-retirement. Will Harper's magazine evolve into less of a lefty echo chamber?

The Pundit in Winter (WaPo)
William Raspberry: In the future there will be a few op-ed writers whose ideas those in power may from time to time find interesting, and there will be a small number whose columns provide a useful outlet for the ideas of those in power. But don't look for new giants on the horizon.

The Week Wants a Little R-E-S-P-E-C-T (Marketwatch)
Jon Friedman: The blogazine can boast a battalion of adoring celebrity fans and impressive financial progress. Still, at the precocious age of 4-1/2, it sorely lacks the prestige, reach, and depth of its rivals.

Minutemen and Ombudsmen (Slate)
Jack Shafer: Examining a Time photo, one wonders why editors graphically obscured a news photo taken in a public place about a subject of national concern?

Publishers Ponder the Future of Auto Ads (Mediaweek)
While automotive spending gained 12.6 percent across all media in 2004, advertising is projected to be flat next year, and an increasing share of automotive ads are finding their way online.

Claim: Newscasters Aren't Overpaid Airheads (The Independent)
Katie Derham, a British news anchor, has hit back at veteran broadcasters who have dismissed the new breed of younger, photogenic news personalities as just pretty faces paid to read the teleprompter.

The War on Al-Jaz (The Nation)
Jeremy Scahill: Nothing puts the lie to the Bush Administration's absurd claim that it invaded Iraq to spread democracy throughout the Middle East more decisively than its ceaseless attacks on Al-Jazeera.

The 'Moral Collapse' of Journalism (NYP)
Ralph Peters: After journalists became matinee idols, every bright young reporter had a new career goal. Forget honest, get-at-the-facts reporting. Henceforth the crowning ambition in the field was to bring down a president.

—David S. Hirschman