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Despite the appearance of trauma and drama, we suspect Jared Paul Stern is a very happy man right now. Sure, he was caught on videotape allegedly trying to shake down billionaire Ron Burkle, but the press is slowly starting to let up on Stern himself, at least in that it's increasingly probable that Burkle masterminded some sort of set up. The most significant pieces of press in Stern's favor have come from ABC News, which was the first to report Stern's defense; yesterday they also reported that the FBI did not have enough evidence to make an arrest.

It's interesting to note that both articles were written by Chris Cuomo, who's married to Cristina Greeven, the vice chairman of Jason Binn's Niche Media. Coincidentally, Page Six editor Richard Johnson is (or was) a contributor to Niche's Gotham mag , and Johnson is said to be rather friendly with Binn. We're not suggesting anything, but if Binn is a Friend of Page Six (and you know he is), it's not a stretch to assume that his vice chairman is in a similar position. And then, lo and behold, the vice chairman's husband at ABC News reports the Page Six-friendly angle.

Now, to be clear, this doesn't really change the possibility that Burkle has a problem with teen models and an axe to grind with P6. And we're not saying that the above information discredits Cuomo's reporting. But it sure is fun to see how the story gets spinned and who does the spinning.

Gawker's Coverage of Payola Six
Related: Phone Keeps Ringing for NY Post Writer [AP]