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John Edwards. The man needs no introduction. John J. Edwards III, on the other hand, could probably use a better one than the following: A news and media editor at the Wall Street Journal and an all-around bon vivant with more panache than you could shake a stick at. (Seriously, just look at that picture. What class.) On the next page, Edwards III takes a bite out of his desk and attempts to convince us that the Journal does have a "funnies" page.

Age/Location/Occupation

34/New Rochelle/News Editor for Media And Marketing, Wall Street Journal

1. The media frequently comes under attack for being unethical and partisan and sometimes a flat-out bunch of liars (the irony of this being an interview on Gawker.com is duly noted), so where (or to whom) do I turn to for a little guidance in these troubled times?

This calumny shall not stand, sir! OK, now that I've calmed down and left the 19th century, I'll just say that while those attacks do come, they're by and large unfair. Obviously journalism, like any endeavor, has its bad actors, but most journalists are conscientious and upstanding. Really. Stop smirking, you smart-aleck Gawker readers. But depending on what kind of guidance you're looking for, and how troubled your particular times are, you may want to seek the help of a religious authority, mental-health professional or bartender. Mix and match as needed.

2. When the Wall Street Journal started using color, I thought, "Now would be the perfect time for them to put in a 'funnies' page." Any chance my dream of seeing Family Circus next to my mutual funds' performance chart will come true any time soon? They both make me belly laugh.

"Put in" a funnies page? Don't tell me you've been blind to the deep vein of comedy gold that is "Pepper ... & Salt," the opinion side's age-old cartoon feature. If "Pepper ... & Salt" were any funnier, our poor readers' heads would explode. Or they would smile bemusedly.

3. Media, as I understand it and correct me if I am wrong, is composed of TV, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet (not counting drunk bloggers at the parties' national conventions). Which of those do you find it easiest to write about? (I bet it's the wild-west-like Internet.)

I guess radio is the Kevin McCallister of your media universe, left standing in front of the bathroom mirror adorably slapping its cheeks while TV, newspapers, magazines and the Internet jet off to France. I'm mainly editing these days, but at any rate, "easiest" is a hard quality to gauge. Certainly TV is fun and accessible. The Internet is great to cover, though the real Wild West days are largely over, and we're trying to stay out front in reporting on its business and societal impact. The magazine industry was particularly thrilled when we ran an advertising column recently on research that shows spending on Internet advertising outpacing that on magazine advertising in about four years. We did include the obligatory caveats about the wildly poor predictions made about the Web at the height of the bubble, but now that a lot of the noise is out of the sector, its real transformative effect is beginning to take hold

4. What, pray tell, is wrong with the Outback Steak House, a restaurant you have no love for. I know, it's no Olive Garden (hospitaliano to you, good sir!) but certainly midwesterners and NYC tourists got to eat somewhere familiar or they'll end up seated next to me?

I wrote those comments as a seething 29-year-old, lashing out at the pillars of the bourgeoisie. Now, in my mellow early-mid-30s, I have come to understand the appeal of a decently seasoned steak at a reasonable price—and the Bloomin' Onion needs no defense from me. Plus, since then I've been to Outback one more time than I'd been then, which was zero times. That said, it's hard to get fully comfortable with the hamhanded cultural misappropriation behind Aussie-Tizers and Bonzer Salads.

5. In a transcript of a chat on TheStreet.com you where on, you were asked "Who is TheStreet.com's biggest competitor?" To which you replied: "Certainly The Wall Street Journal and its interactive edition are big competitors of ours." And now you work at the Journal. Don't you wish now that you had said, "A company where the desks are made out of chocolate and taffy and all the other employees are clowns and magicians and happy people," because you'd probably work there and that would be a cool company?

Clearly you haven't been by the Journal newsroom lately. Pardon me while I break off a hunk of my desk, which is a semisweet Valrhona this week.

The Top Five Neckties in John J. Edwards III's Closet

1. Ralph Lauren Purple Label, medium-dark grey: A sentimental favorite, this is the tie I wore on my wedding day, Sept. 9, 2000. When I was getting ready with my father that morning, I couldn't quite get the dimple right, and I kept ending up with a double one. It mattered not at all, of course. Man, what a great day that was. I don't wear my wedding suit very often because it requires suspenders, but I do wear this tie every other week or so. It's nice to have an ongoing connection to a talisman of the event that made official my status as the luckiest guy around. And every time I get the dimple right, I think, "Oh, sure, you can do it now." (Fun fact: I bought the "matching" ties that my brother, father and father-in-law wore from Men's Wearhouse, for a fraction of the price. Worked out just fine.)

2. Ted Baker, cream with aquamarine polka dots: No. 2 with a bullet. I just acquired this tie in a silent auction run by the Asian-American Journalists Association during the Unity: Journalists of Color convention in Washington. It's unusual without being goofy, and looks fantastic with a white shirt and a charcoal or navy suit.

3. Brooks Brothers, pale blue: Everyone ought to have one, and now I do. It actually has tiny blue and white rectangles on it, giving it a subtle hit of visual interest. I haven't been able to bring myself to try that popular blue-shirt-and-blue-tie combo, which I think would be a little too "Let's play 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'" for my taste. But with a white shirt and navy suit, it's a contemporary yet classic look.

4. Brooks Brothers, black: A somewhat nubbly texture helps it not to be too boring. I got it largely to achieve a favorite summer look I stole from Sir John Gielgud's Hobson in "Arthur": poplin suit, white shirt, black tie. Quite bold and crisp. Brooks Brothers calls it a tuxedo tie, but I'm a traditionalist in evening dress, and wouldn't wear anything but a bowtie with a tuxedo. Not that I think the long-tie look is the end of Western civilization or anything. The end of Western civilization is that untucked-shirttails thing the Times front-paged the other day. Yeesh.

5. Countess Mara, Argyle & Sutherland Highlanders regimental stripe (wide green, thin red, wide navy, thin gold): I bought this one at a vintage store for practically nothing (and not practically nothing in the Les-Moonves-commenting-on-Graydon-Carter's-$50,000-payment sense, either). I had always wanted a Countess Mara tie, and I wasn't disappointed; it's very well made. Alas, it's fraying a bit on the sides near the bottom, so I don't wear it to work often. It still serves well for church, where I tend not to take off my blazer.