Professional media prevaricator Howie Kurtz has long bent over backwards to balance anything that might be construed as a "viewpoint" with an equal, opposite viewpoint. It comes from working in Washington too long. But sometimes, it gets out of hand.

Last August, Jane Mayer wrote a long investigative article in The New Yorker about the Koch brothers, the conservative billionaires who bankroll a host of right-wing causes. Since then, she's apparently become the victim of a disturbing, organized smear campaign.

In your kinky Wednesday media column: the FCC loses again, Cosmo goes to the Middle East, French Vogue eyes a new editor, SI's swimsuit issue goes 3-D, and media hiring is no longer the luxury affair it allegedly once was.

As we bid au revoir to French Vogue's controversial editor, Carine Roitfeld, let us spend a moment with the most controversial images from her final issue: kindergarteners in vampy lipstick and stilettos, languishing in bed and on a tiger-skin rug.

WABC weatherperson Heidi Jones entered a not guilty plea today to misdemeanor charges that she falsely told police a "Hispanic man" tried to rape her in Central Park. But according to the criminal complaint, she's already confessed her guilt.

Vanity Fair has taken a look at the case of Peter Daou and James Boyce, two Democratic operatives who claim Arianna Huffington stole their idea for the Huffington Post. That idea? A Democratic political operation masquerading as a news site.

Robert Gibbs, the nation's highest-paid kindergarten teacher, will resign in February, the New York Times reports. He says he'll continue to advise Obama and intends to get working on his 2012 re-election campaign.

WABC weatherperson Heidi Jones will reportedly plead not guilty today to charges of filing a false sexual assault report.

The Weinstein Co. is buying a 25% stake in Starz, putting lady-dragging Starz CEO Chris Albrecht and reporter-dragging monster Harvey Weinstein in business together. Good luck, kids!

Well, that was fast: Barely two months after a big redesign, MySpace is planning to lay off half its staff, according to news reports. So much for the flailing social network's supposed turnaround.

In your disputatious Tuesday media column: the end of an era at the Village Voice, a settlement in San Francisco's alt-weekly war, 2010's final journalist death toll, and Judy Miller is still talking.

Magazine time capsule Vanity Fair took a break from dead old ladies and put modern teen sensation Justin Bieber on the cover. Of course they depict him as a '50s heartthrob listening to records on ye olde phonograph machine. Ugh.

Overall advertising spending in the U.S. was up nearly 9% in the third quarter, marking three straight quarters of gains. Except for newspapers, which had their 20th consecutive quarterly decline. They're overdue for a comeback! [NYT]

Rupert Murdoch's iPad newspaper, The Daily, finally has a classy internet domain, TheDaily.com, from which to promote itself later this month. But the site's "coming soon" greeting is not so nice.

Oklahoma State University's student newspaper will begin charging non-OSU people to read it online. That's... bold.

In your magical Monday media column: David Carey welcomes himself to Hearst, the NewsBeast gets delayed, Pat Kiernan's website is in danger, David Carr has predictions, and newspaper companies are the stock market's biggest coin flip.

2010 was a great year for Lady Gaga, and a great year for magazines that put her on the cover, with L.G. issues selling higher than usual. But which celebs can't move a mag to save their lives?

Bitchy silver fox John Roberts, until recently host of CNN's American Morning, will leave the world of strained objectivity behind for right-wing insanity parlor Fox News, where he'll serve as senior national correspondent. Enjoy clipping Roger Ailes' toenails, new guy!

Former NYT star journalist turned journalistic disgrace turned Fox News pundit "Judy" Miller has an opinion on Wikileaks' Julian Assange: he is a "bad journalist!" And why is he a bad journalist, according to "Judy" Miller?

A radio station in Hungary is under investigation by the National Media and Communications Authority for playing the 1993 Ice-T song "Warning (It's On)," because the lyrics "could influence the development of minors in a negative way."