In an interview with The Daily Beast’s Howard Kurtz, NY Times Executive Editor Bill Keller defended the NY Times ability to cover Fox News objectively, despite comments he made that were critical of the cable news network and the people that regularly watch Fox News. Speaking specifically about his media reporters, Keller claimed “they are professionally indifferent to that fact that Fox maintains a stable of commentators who make a good living bashing the Times.” But did Keller compromise the editorial objectivity of his staff and paper by openly attacking an entity so often in the news?

There appears to be a tempest in a teapot media showdown brewing in Wasilla, Alaska. Ever since Joe McGinniss moved in next door to Sarah Palin — the subject of his upcoming investigative book — certain circles have been debating whether as a journalist he is within his rights or overstepping them. Thus far the two camps have fallen on fairly predictable battle lines. Subsequently, it will likely not surprise anyone that Andrew Sullivan is on team McGinniss.

Responses to Pardon The Interruption host Tony Kornheiser‘s suspension from ESPN seems to be in universal agreement that it is an overreaction to his comments about Hannah Storm.

But the reasons vary greatly. Here’s a look at some of the post-suspension reaction:

People who memorize every cover of Men’s Health may have noticed something curious about the December issue’s cover, aside from noted dreamboat Taylor Lautner: almost all of the text and layout is identical to a cover from 2007, which featured Jason Statham. The self-recycling was noted by none other than intrepid media watchdog … Perez Hilton. In a statement to Mediaite, Men’s Health editor-in-chief Dave Zinczenko defends the cover:

Slate’s Jack Shafer explains what’s really behind the world’s fascination with the Tiger Woods‘ Sherman McCoy-like debacle. He also notes that the reason we can’t get enough of the Salahis is because “they do in maximum what we do in miniature every day.”

Jack Shafer, in the aftermath of Rupe’s declaration that he’s banning the Google, reflects upon Rupert Murdoch’s tendency to behave like a politician when it comes to his media businesses. Further examples after the jump.

Slate’s Jack Shafer taps his contender for the ‘which President hated the press more’ parlor game that has been going on in media circles of late. If the goal of the White House was to white noise any other news reporting out of the news cycle with their ‘war’ on Fox than I think, at this point anyway, their decision must be considered an unmitigated success!

Slate’s Jack Shafer comparing the fate of Conde Nast to that of that other overreaching, reality-ignoring American powerhouse, General Motors. Next up: Graydon Carter and Anna Wintour fly to Washington in their private jets to beg for a bailout!

Yesterday, the New York Observer took their turn in the age-old tradition of reporting on Matt Drudge‘s demise. Every so often some editor or reporter notices a new sliver of damning evidence, surely marking the end for the Drudge Report, and decides that this time it might just be enough to squash the seminal ring-wing news aggregator once and for all. But as a notable wordsmith once said, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

The A.I.G. Financial Products unit is to the global financial crisis what rickety levees were to Hurricane Katrina. But as Michael Lewis points out in his excellent article in the latest issue of Vanity Fair, F.P., as it’s called, used to be the envy of Wall Street. In 2001, the elite unit accounted for a [...]