At least we've got a new Nikki Finke picture to look at. We were sick of that black-and-white portrait—the only photo of the Hollywood gossip available online—so we're glad the New Yorker added an illustration to the mix.

In your deathly Monday media column: More details on today's Conde Nast purge, point-counterpoint on Tribune Co's criminal management, an online news operation folds, and a journalist is killed.

In your friendly Friday media column: the NYT's standards editor retires, a Russian journokabob scandal, Time Warner really loves this "magazine" business, and the magazine industry has big plans, sure.

In your conspiratorial Thursday media column: The New Yorker hates Brazil, Laurel Touby bids you farewell, Pinch Sulzberger ups his humor quotient, and sexism exists.

It was inevitable that someone smarter than us would go ahead and open up a journalism school that teaches kids how to write for tabloids. But the Russians? We're ashamed of ourselves.

The Obama administration—of all administrations!—announces that it's mostly opposed to a federal shield law protecting reporters from being subpoenaed for their sources. After all the rhetorical cock-gobbling the media did for you, Obama. Quid Pro No? Shame. [NYT]

In your maudlin Wednesday media column: rumors of Reader's Digest layoffs [Update: And RD's response], a guarantee of Conde Nast layoffs, and the debate over the newspaper industry is one-sided, to be honest.

It's all over but the cryin' for Dan Rather. A New York appellate court today tossed out his lawsuit against CBS News for breach of contract and fraud. So there's really no reason to pay attention to him anymore.

Courtesy of The Wrap.

In your trailblazing Tuesday media column: Byron Pitts overcomes hardships, chuckle as a newspaper editor talks trash, Ebony's bound to sell, and The Daily Beast is publishing books, fast!

Last week, Barack Obama stood before the world with the prime ministers of Britain and France and accused Iran of secretly pursuing a nuclear weapon. Today, nameless spooks are telling the New York Times not so much. What's going on?

The Washington Post discovers a new trend: "Fixed gear bikes," which young folks are reportedly riding all over DC, trendily. This is why we need newspapers. You just don't get this stuff from blogs. [WaPo. Pic via]

In your wispy Monday media column: the New York Times performs unnecessary duties, Wesleyan spends unnecessary money, a hockey team gets a pet reporter, and people like to read about gangsters.

A flack gives nine reasons "suck ups," "weenies" and "has-beens" leak to the media. Objective.

Will Roman Polanski be extradited? Is he a misunderstood artist, or a rapist who should rot? Questions! But none as interesting as how the AP's notes for the story landed on the pages of Forbes and the New York Times.

Murdered Yale student Annie Le's funeral was today. I wasn't going to write anything about it, because, you know, not a story. Not even a footnote. Apparently, I'm wrong:

Iran's been amping up its nuclear program at a secret facility, which the U.S. knew about but wasn't saying anything until now. Which makes it awfully unfortunate for Newsweek, which reported "exclusively" last week that Iran's nuke program was dormant.

Everybody's just itching to prove that the two camera-toting, self-promoting goobers who blew the lid off the prostitute-advisory ring that is ACORN are creatures of a right-wing media conspiracy. Of course they are! But so what?

Is this proof that we finally won? New York Times media business reporter Tim Arango is going to report from Iraq for a while!

Here is conservative provocateur Andrew Breitbart justifying his hilarious ACORN expose: