Mammograms is a word that gets stuck in one's head very easily, and "uproar" about them is the only consistent story today. Dictator kids, drug wars and the chance to win Madoff's polo shirts await!

The tabloids, much to my chagrin, do not characterize mammograms as 'tit tests'. Which surely is the quintessential tabloid-ization. Other than that shoo-in, the lull in the healthcare and Fort Hood stories gives the editors a chance to flex their muscles a little bit and show how original they are. The Times explores Google maps and the kids of dictators, the Washington Post digs up a couple of government reports that no-one else seems to have thought front-page important, and the LA Times throws caution to the wind and does whatever the hell it likes, including a picture of some men pointing big guns around. The Post crosses the line from the ridiculous to the sublime with a giveaway of two of Madoff's polo shirts, crisply ironed for the cover photo.

Disclosure: I freelance write and report for newspapers that are included in this roundup. Where there is a direct conflict of interest I will make it clear.

The New York Times: has a truly excellent story about the son of the Equatorial Guinean dictator, which I cannot comment on because I was just about to put a similar one up on this website and am incandescent with rage. There's some good financial news from GM, which is not a sentence anyone gets to write often of late, and across the page (maybe to maintain a cliched gender balance) is the story that fewer women than thought need regular mammograms. The back-and-forth over Iran's nuclear capabilities continues, with a report that inspectors fear they have hidden nuclear plants. Below the fold there's a profile of the number-cruncher who often has the last say in congressional legislation, and a feature on how users improve Google maps.

The Washington Post: continues a run of interesting front page pictures with a shot of the 'Obamao' T-shirts that I predict we will begin to see around New York soon. They also cover the news on mammograms and give due prominence to a story on hunger in America - the high number of Americans living below the poverty line has been under-reported, I think. Primarily because it's not quirky and doesn't involve Facebook or Twitter. Another diary story (as in based on a scheduled event) that doesn't make the front elsewhere, but seems like it might merit more general prominence, is Ben Bernanke's pessimistic view of the economy. And he would know. The paper refers to right-wing, inconsistent and self-interested Democrats as 'moderate' in a story on healthcare - a piece of doublespeak which rivals 'pro-life' in its disingenuousness. And there's a sad media story about the death of the Washington Blade, the capital's gay newspaper.

The LA Times: characterize the mammogram story as causing "uproar," which seems a little strong. Other than that it's all original stories - well done LAT. The Mexican drugs story which was everywhere for about a week earlier this year and then dropped entirely off editorial radars is back for a well-deserved follow-up. Which also means the paper gets to run a gun-filled action shot. Either congressional morons are always finding new ways to jeopardize healthcare reform, or the papers are always finding new ways to report it. Both are equally plausible. There's perhaps the freshest piece of color reporting hooked on Obama's visit to China and a story about a road somewhere.

The Wall Street Journal: the most interesting thing about this story on how much land the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, a government agency, owns is that the Journal thinks we're in the "waning days" of the recession. Great! They also cover the mammograms story. I'm sure this news is huge if you work in finance, and finally word that the Presidency of the EU may not go, as expected, to Tony Blair but to the wonderfully named Herman Van Rompuy. Apparently Engelbert Humperdinck wasn't available.

The New York Post: has the best competition ever. Win Madoff's polo shirts! And a story about Bloomberg's budget cuts for the city.

The Daily News: underlines what a handy resource Facebook and MySpace are for reporters, in this story about the accidental killing of a Bronx girl.

Hamodia: "the newspaper of Torah Jewry"," based in Brooklyn, is to be commended for running only stories of wider, non-specific Torah Jewry interest. Thus, I think, making a satirical point about religion-specific newspapers.

The Anchorage Daily News: is apparently as bored of Sarah Palin as we're all about to be. They run only a small story below the fold on the hometown girl made... well I suppose good is the wrong word.