In your thinly-spread Thursday media column: A vicious backbiting war amongst Birmingham's press corps, David Remnick still has money to spend, Germany looks to screw bloggers, and Bernie Kerik: Journalistic Hero.

Here's the setup: The mayor of Birmingham, Alabama was just convicted of 60(!) counts of bribery, and is likely headed to prison. The mayor's a former "award winning television journalist" who last year said that Birmingham should be hosting the Olympics by 2020. So after his conviction, the mayor comes out of the courthouse and a local TV reporter asks him, "What does this mean for Birmingham's chances for the 2020 Olympics?" LOL! And then a columnist for the local paper goes scolding the reporter, for his question. Hey Birmingham, lighten up! You'll still get the Olympics!


David Remnick doesn't think that long stories are going away. Good, since he's the guy paying for them.


In Germany, the government "has pledged to create a new kind of copyright to protect online journalism," and, by extension, screw bloggers. It's a classic case of balancing the interests of supporting legacy media institutions with supporting the right of new media to evolve and flourish. In other words, "Poop." Copyright that.


Do you know why America's Homeland Security Idol Bernie Kerik is in jail right now? For trying to leak info to a reporter at the Washington Times. Sure, it was confidential info about himself that he leaked in an effort to drum up pre-trial sympathy, but still. Is Bernie Kerik a hero of journalism? At least as much as Judy Miller!