This morning, we published e-mails between New York Times reporters and Eliot Spitzer's flacks. Some commenters have suggested the post demonstrates a lack of familiarity with "journalism." Actually, we contacted the Times reporters for response, and a funny thing happened.

Following encouraging quarterly earnings, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes sent this internal memo out to his minions, instructing them how to innovate for future success, provided they're not laid off in the next couple months.

You may be aware that deathly newspaper company stocks have experienced a brief resurgence recently, amidst speculation that things aren't so bad after all for the newspaper industry. If you benefited from this resurgence at all, lucky you. Now sell.

The massive Time Inc. layoff-buyouts are now sweeping through the company's various magazines. Below, a memo that just went out to Time magazine editorial employees offering them buyouts. Run, don't walk!

Declarative former NY1 newsman Dominic Carter already lost his job for unseemly name-dropping in court while on trial for beating his wife, then got barred from boarding a flight just because he exists. Can his week get worse? Yes, much.

Last week the well-respected interim editor of the Observer, Tom McGeveran, quit in mysterious circumstances. New York Mag tells a tale of feuds and (media) hit jobs that might offer some explanation.

In a new roundup of the morning's front pages you'll be glad to hear that our measured press corps refuses to read too much into last night as a ridiculous referendum on Obama so soon into his presidency. Kidding!

Conde Nast potentate Si Newhouse is prepared to take a $10 million loss just to sell off some art and raise some cash. That can't be good.

• The Wall Street Journal has the Times in its sights. The paper is hiring a dozen reporters to cover local news and will launch a NYC edition next year. [NYT]
• As expected, a big round of layoffs at Time Inc. is underway. [Gawker, NYT]
• Harvey and Bob Weinstein may be looking to buy back the Miramax name from Disney now that it's being disbanded. That's the rumor anyway. [Wrap]
• Bloomberg plans to make BusinessWeek "bigger, glossier, and more international." Oh, and it may start charging for access to the BW site. [MW]
• The Oscars will have two hosts: Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. [LAT]

We hear Time Inc. Guild members are meeting now regarding pending layoffs. UPDATE: A tipster tells us "Time Inc.'s news division has started their layoffs." Email us details. MORE: The memo People editor Larry Hackett sent out, below.

Auletta: Google feared buying the NYT would "sabotage their identity as a neutral search engine."

The Wall Street Journal is planning to hire a dozen new staffers to cover local news in NYC, Media Decoder reports. Let us point out every last implication to this news!

It's been a brutal few weeks at Condé Nast as the magazine giant has shut down four magazines and slashed hundreds of jobs. The pain, however, isn't limited to the rank and file. A prized piece of art from the collection of Condé Nast chairman Si Newhouse goes up for auction tomorrow at Sotheby's and despite the fact he stands to lose much as $10 million by selling now at the market abyss, Newhouse has opted to try and unload the piece anyway. Desperate times call for desperate measures, it seems.

In your alluring Tuesday media column: An emerging catalogue of WaPo Styles fuckery, Russia has this whole "journalism" thing nailed, nothing about The Onion is funny except the actual words, and "Twenty ten" means you're gay.

Media jobs used to be cushy; nowadays, you can't even land a media job, and if you do, it sucks. But six-figure journalism salaries still exist! As do terrible, fly-by-night hellholes (Billboard). We've found the best and the worst.

Yesterday, 68 year-old Washington Post editor Henry Allen (pictured!) hauled off and popped staff writer Manuel Roig-Franzia right in his grill, like BLAM! The Washington City Paper now has all the details, and we are prepared to make a ruling.

The East Valley (AZ) Tribune won a Pulitzer last April. In December, it closes forever.

A tipster writes: "Where the big Cookie logo used to be (now scraped off) at the 8th floor elevator landing here at 4 Times Sq. is now just a post-it that says 'BRIDES'." Majestic close-up photo below!

• Comcast is "close" to a deal to take control of NBC Universal. [NYT]
• Scripps Networks, which controls the Food Network and HGTV, is close to taking over the Travel Channel for the low, low price of $1 billion. [NYT]
• The critically-acclaimed cop drama Southland is coming back. Although NBC canceled the show, TNT now plans to air the remaining episodes. [LAT]
• It's been a rocky road for Jay Leno since moving to 10pm, which may explain why he says he'd go right back to his old time slot if NBC requested it. [B&C]
• Oprah has signed on to narrate a new Discovery Channel nature series. [NYT]
• Universal Music is bringing in a successor to CEO Doug Morris. [BW]
• The Jackson doc This Is It was No. 1 at the box office this weekend. [THR]
• Did you know that in the '80s, Sue Simmons used to knock back a couple of cocktails and hit the clubs before the 11pm newscast? How scandalous! [NYO]

In your malicious Monday media column: the Detroit newspaper situation grows more depressing, Mika Brzezinski is one honest lady, Denver Post sportswriters have no opinion on these "sports," and Howard Kurtz is still the King of Boring Conventional Wisdom.