Many digital media entities (including this one) appreciate writers inserting personal anecdotes, thoughts or, gulp, opinions into their writing. It’s a practice that would have been considered journalistic heresy years ago but these days is often encouraged because it can make stories more interesting and, well, personal (some might even call it “masturbatory“). But yesterday’s confession from New York Observer writer Drew Grant (who briefly covered weekends for Mediaite well before I started) may have established a new line in the journalistic sand. She casually gloated about getting high off illegal “mushrooms” with her colleagues before attending the premiere party for the IFC program Portlandia at the Museum of Natural History, an event to which she was invited in her role as a reporter.

The New York Observer‘s Drew Grant (formerly of Mediaite) is reporting on a YouTube clip that shows an Occupy Wall Street protester peppering Fox News’ Griff Jenkins with criticism of the network, in an interview that was never aired. Why the clip didn’t air is the subject of some speculation, but according to Greta Van Susteren, the simplest explanation is the right one.

Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani wasn’t really on anyone’s mind as a potential 2012 candidate since his disastrous Florida-only campaign in 2008. But ever since a CNN poll showed him performing remarkably well among independents, the whispers that Giuliani may be contemplating throwing his hat in the ring have gotten all the louder. Adding fuel to the embers, Giuliani told a crowd at an ALS benefit he was planning on visiting New Hampshire, but not for campaigning for anything.

Move over, New York Times vs. Wall Street Journal: there’s a new feud in town. Last night, a critical piece about Slate was published on the New York Observer‘s website, sparking a sniping match that might even be interesting to those who don’t work in Manhattan’s news industry.

Howie Hawkins, a member of the Green Party, probably won’t be elected Governor of New York in November. Hawkins shouldn’t be too broken up about his impending loss, though—in fact, based on comments he made to David Freedlander of the New York Observer, maybe he should be considering a second career as a comedian.

Is this the man being prepped at Bill Keller’s heir at the New York Times? It certainly sounds that way. The Observer‘s John Koblin (also, of the newly relaunched Media Mob!) certainly seems to conclude as much.

Not a year after wrapping up one of the more sanguinary house-cleanings in recent memory (even the cleaning-lady got sacked), The NYO has been reduced to running slavish retreads of articles penned months earlier by writers they once employed. And not just that: The NYO is affording these retreads marquee placement on their website.

Howie Kurtz may think that the media-at-large owes Gov. David Paterson an apology but it looks like Gov. Paterson is currently only interested in directing all his ire at the New York Times. Might that have anything to do with this weekend’s campaign announcement?

The New York Times has published their other Gov. David Paterson ‘bombshell’ article today. So what does this one say. Well it’s not scandalous, but it’s not great. Paterson is remote, unreliable, and is “increasingly reliant on people whom he feels comfortable with but who lack deep experience in government” also he may not actually work that hard.

Well, I guess this is a fitting end to an absurd newscycle. The big New York Times ‘bombshell’ story about David Paterson isn’t actually about David Paterson. Ba dump! It’s about his aid David W. Johnson. Here’s the part the rumor mill did get right: it’s a big story.

Wow. Well welcome to the new, new journalism where even the New York Times editorial board is forced to go meta. Seriously meta. Apparently, the rumors about a Paterson, fueled in equal parts by the blogosphere and the venerable New York City tabloids, got so out of hand the Times felt they had to push back in a editorial blog post. They went straight to the source.

On Friday gossip was flying around New York media (and one imagines political) circles that the New York Times was working on some sort of bombshell story that was going to be so shocking that Paterson would be forced to resign! Apparently nothing that shocking exists.

Apparently the New York Times is working on some big shocking story about Gov. David Paterson‘s sex life. All things considered, namely what we already know about Paterson, the low expectations even the most starry-eyed among us must at this point have for anything having to do with Albany, and the general state of the personal lives of our politcos at the moment, one shudders at the thought of what currently qualifies as shocking.

Yesterday, we noticed that the New York Times profile of a shifting, and possibly floundering, Harper’s magazine focused on the increasingly second-guessed moves of publisher Rick MacArthur. Tuesday, in a follow-up by the Observer‘s John Koblin, Harper’s staffers are called “queasy” about MacArthur’s “increased visibility in their lives.” Not exactly a vote of confidence in a time of turmoil.

Nothing aids the launch of a new website like a little bit of controversy! After being interviewed by Business Insider about the launch of his new site, Andrew Breitbart took to the webs with complaints of being misquoted and proceeded to accuse Business Insider of merely being a front for Gawker. We untangle it all after the jump.

From New York Times executive editor Bill Keller’s 2008 letter to the George Polk committee. It was this letter that WSJ managing editor Robert Thomson was referring to when he accused Keller of “casting aspersions” on the Journal. Hmm.

Has the time finally come? Earlier last month managing editor Bill Keller in one of his “chats” revealed that the Times may be considering cutting some of its web content as a cost-cutting measure. Are those (necessary) cut coming in the next few weeks?

“A mad reader is an engaged reader!” This we know. Everyone who has ever worked in media time-out-of-mind knows this. The blogosphere is built on this model. Cable News increasingly so. Still, knowing that didn’t stop me from being angry; angrier still that it had worked. And it does work. But why does it always seems to work best when women are shown at their marginalized worst? The answer: Sexism sells.

Maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m just sensitive because last year, NYO writer Spencer Morgan featured me in a piece about how awesome it was for a 36-year-old guy to nail 23-year-old girls, until he realized that when it was time to be responsible and settle down he needed a boring old 36 year old….who was so boring that she drove him back to 23 year olds.

Last week, news spread that the New York Times would need to cut 100 of its 1,250 editorial staffers by year’s end. But instead of just flat out firing people, the Times decided to lead with a buyout option open to any newsroom employee. When the packages arrived they had some surprising details about the newsroom, as uncovered by the New York Observer, who managed to snag an envelope.

Ivanka Trump married Jared Kushner over the weekend. The two have been engaged since July. The New York Post has the first wedding photos, which sort of begs the question why Kushner wouldn’t post them on the website of the paper he actually owns (keeping one eye on the future investors, perhaps?). The salient details courtesy of the Post.

Maybe it’s something about the season, but hard drugs are in the air. This week, the New York Observer and New York Press are running poignant features about the use of class A drugs — crack and heroin, respectively. Both pieces seem to serve as an epilogue to nearly three decades of governmental push against substance abuse, especially among the urban youth, but each niche cultural paper takes a different approach.

When it comes to keeping it all in the family, online banner ads are a new frontier. If you check out the media page of the New York Observer today you might be met with the serious stare of Donald Trump‘s businesswoman daughter Ivanka in an advertisement for her new book The Trump Card. The paper, of course, is owned by Trump’s husband-to-be Jared Kushner. Interesting!

New York Times editor Bill Keller sent out a very foreboding email memo to his staff today, warning that the paper would need to cut 100 newsroom jobs from its editorial staff of about 1,250 by the end of the year. Check out his full internal memo, including details of buyouts vs. layoffs, inside.

At some point the New York daily tabloids are going to become a luxury instead of a necessity. That day has apparently arrived at the New York Times Metro Desk. The NYO is reporting that the Metro Desk has been informed that, as of today, if you want the paper you now gots to pay for it.