In your ardent Monday media column: accountability comes to punditry, PR replaces journalism, the NYT's front page quick change artistry, longer newscasts tonight, and everybody loves People.com.

  • This is the best: a class at Hamilton(!) College went to the trouble of actually checking all the predictions a bunch of pundits and politicians made in 2007 and 2008, and figuring out who was right and who was wrong. The most accurate: Paul Krugman and Maureen Dowd. The most wrong: Cal Thomas and Sen. Lindsey Graham. The study found that liberals tended to be more accurate, and "those prognosticators with a law degree were more likely to be wrong." Every single one of our prejudices is confirmed! Love it.
  • As the journalism industry has shrunk in recent years, the PR industry has expanded to take its place. So you, the consumer, are still hearing the same amount of crap; it's just that more of it is paid for. Actually, now that I think of it, don't even worry about it. Take an Aleve™ and rest peacefully in the knowledge that America is the best!
  • Here is a side by side picture of the NYT's planned front page for today, and the Bin Laden-centric page that actually ran after the paper finally got to yell "stop the presses!" in real life. At least Lebron James didn't get cut.
  • Network newscasts are being expanded to an hour tonight. If you've been reading the internet all day—and I know you have—you can do something else with your time.
  • People.com got 162 million page views on the day of the Royal Wedding. Everyone needed to know whether Casey Abrams and Haley Reinhart are meant to do more duets! So sue them!

[Photo: Getty]