Click here to receive mediabistro.com's Daily Newsfeed via email.

More Alleged Anti-Semitic Incidents Involving Regan: Mezuza-Tampering, Jews as 'Rodents' (NYT)
Judith Regan, who was fired last week by HarperCollins in the wake of what executives called anti-Semitic remarks, was reportedly investigated and reprimanded three years ago for making an anti-Semitic remark at work. In the spring of 2003, an editor complained that Regan had boasted of removing the scrolls from her neighbors' mezuzas and replacing them with torn dollar bills. NYDN: Two publishing insiders allege that Regan regularly compared Jewish people to "rodents." Radar: A segment of Regan's Sirius satellite radio show with GalleyCat blogger Ron Hogan — in which she reportedly ranted about the "backstabbers at HarperCollins" — was mysteriously cut yesterday. GalleyCat: Leading Jewish newspaper absolves Regan — sort of.

Judge Questions the FCC's Right To Police Network Television (NY Sun)
A federal appellate judge sharply questioned a government lawyer yesterday over whether regulators were too zealous in their efforts to protect children from on-air profanity. At issue is whether the danger that foul language poses to children is enough to justify the Federal Communications Commission's policing of network television. B&C: As the judges made clear, they are not eager to reach to the constitutional question and will decide the case on as narrow grounds as possible.

Hmm, How Should I Spend My Clearly Excessive Holiday Bonus? Media CEO Pays $280K for a Poem (AP)
A businessman paid $280,000 for an original 1860 handwritten copy of the classic poem that begins "'Twas the night before Christmas," an auction gallery said. The buyer, identified only as the chief executive officer of a media company, received the copy of the poem this month, just in time to read it to relatives and business associates at a holiday party in his Manhattan home.

Tribune Makes Pitch to Burkle, Broad (LAT)
Representatives of the media company have presented detailed information about its business and its largest unit, the Los Angeles Times, to representatives of billionaires Eli Broad and Ron Burkle, who have expressed interest in buying the company. It was unclear whether the presentation would push the two any closer to making a formal offer for Tribune.

Trump to Sue Rosie for View Comments (Access Hollywood)
Donald Trump announced yesterday that he is filing suit against TV talk show host Rosie O'Donnell. "She says things that come to her mouth, she's not smart, she's crude, she's ignorant and to be honest I look forward to suing Rosie," he said. Earlier in the day, Rosie branded him a "snake-oil salesman" on The View and called his staging of a Miss USA press conference a publicity stunt.

J.K. Rowling: I Dreamed I Was Harry Potter (AP via USAT)
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling says she has dreamed that she was the boy wizard as she writes the seven-book series' final installment — work she says has left her feeling both "elated and overwrought." Rowling said in a message posted on her official Web site that she has been hard at work writing scenes, some of which she planned more than 12 years ago.

A TV Show's Content Calls the Commercial Plays (NYT)
A new set of Wendy's commercials, to be broadcast during football games this weekend, are among the earliest examples of an emerging technology that allows advertisers to vary their message at the last minute to reflect events in a live program. In a reverse product placement of sorts, Wendy's will incorporate the show's content in its commercials instead of inserting its products into a program.

A Day in the Life of Inmate #98005-111: Journalist Josh Wolf (SFBG)
Freelance journalist Josh Wolf has spent nearly four months in prison for refusing to give up outtakes of videos he took at an anarchist protest turned violent. Recently, Wolf wrote a letter describing his typical day inside, which should be a source of useful tips for SF Chron reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, who face up to 18 months inside for refusing to reveal a source.

Top 10 Newspaper Industry Stories of 2006 (E&P)
Joe Strupp: As always, the newspaper industry had more than its share of ups, downs and, well, more downs. Still, the newsprint kept flowing, and, more importantly, the Web sites kept growing. Jobs were cut, deals made, and some press freedoms were protected while others were lost. AP via Richmond Times Dispatch: Iraq tops the list of the Associated Press' top 10 stories of 2006.

WSJ Gets Comfortable with Blogs, Wants to Boost Community (PBS Mediashift)
Mark Glaser: Historically, the Wall Street Journal's Web site has been the antithesis of Web 2.0 and online innovation. The site has stressed online columns, as opposed to blogs, and there has been very little multimedia. But much has changed in the past year as the American business-news leader has launched blogs, boosted its podcasts, and even dabbled in regular video reports.

Advertising's Online Future (Variety)
Marketers and ad agencies, long accustomed to interrupting a television show or preceding a movie with their message, are now trying to learn the new language of video advertising on the Internet.

Hijacking Public Media (NY Press)
Amy Goodman and David Goodman: The Bush administration has launched a full-scale assault on independent journalism, and one area has come under especially heavy fire: public broadcasting. This is illustrated vividly by former Corporation for Public Broadcasting chairman Kenneth Tomlinson's attempts to transform public broadcasting into an extension of the White House propaganda machine.

Nielsen Fun Facts: Small Talk About Big Numbers (WaPo)
Lisa de Moraes: People are always cornering me at holiday parties angrily demanding to know why their favorite TV show was canceled while Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is still on the air. By the second or third party, I start running out of fun factoids to chirp at them. Which is why it was such a relief when yesterday Nielsen Media Research sent out its new crop of "fun facts" about TV in 2006.

The Modern Pamphleteer (CJR Daily)
Adam Bellow, son of the novelist Saul Bellow, has been in publishing for the past twenty years and has earned a name for himself as an editor of famously controversial and conservative books. His newest venture has as its goal no less than "to reinvent the book for the 21st century." Bellow wants to do this by bringing back the art of pamphleteering, putting blog posts and digests in print form.

Will Press Question Laura Bush's Media Criticism? (Media Matters)
Given that conservatives such as Rich Lowry and Tony Blankley have challenged Laura Bush's assertion that the media have failed to cover "a lot of good things that are happening" in Iraq, will the media similarly take on the first lady's baseless — and at times outright false — attacks on the media?