News Corp has a much-anticipated quarterly earnings call today, following yesterday's board meeting. The one (and only) real agenda item is to figure out how to move past the devastating UK phone hacking scandal—which means making sure it doesn't spread to America. Fortunately, News Corp has something going for it: best friends!

Star tech writer David Pogue has been publicly admonished by his editors at New York Times on ethics again, for charging flacks $159 each to learn how to get into his column. How many times must this happen, David?

TechCrunch's editor has a mounting conflict of interest problem, a problem that will inevitably alter the tech blog's coverage. But don't take our word for it—that's what TechCrunch says.

One portion of the devastating documentary about the global financial collapse, Inside Job (which won an Oscar, so you have to see it), dealt with academic economists—specifically, the ways that they became financially tied to banks and other players in finance, and how that may have compromised the entire practice of economics. It even showed the heads of the economic departments at Harvard (pictured) and Columbia blithely asserting that there was no need to disclose their financial conflicts of interest in academic papers. It was sickening.

Pouty fathead Donald Trump is a tailor-made character for the New York Observer, which purports to monitor Manhattan's smug oligarchy with a gimlet-eyed detachment. And his semi-coherent presidential grumblings, which count as news just about everywhere else, make ideal grist for the Observer's mill. Too bad he's the owner's father-in-law.

Another great move by deeply beloved and totally secure ABC News chief Ben Sherwood: he's reportedly hiring Dan Abrams. Yes, Dan Abrams, the current owner of a PR firm. To do some anchoring, there at ABC! How does that work?

In your maverick Monday media column: conflict scandal at Reuters, J-school is worthless, media reporter play their roles, E&P cans its editors, and smart stories make the most money online, allegedly.

New York Times business columnist Joe Nocera's column last weekend excoriated H.P. and SAP, and presented Oracle in a positive light. One problem: Nocera's fiancee is the PR person for Oracle's lead attorney in its lawsuit against SAP. Woops.

As the director of Apple's app store, Phillip Shoemaker is responsible for enforcing Apple's controversially draconian policies on iPhone code and content. So you'd think he'd have done a better job cleaning the online skeletons out of his closet.

Fallen Hewlett Packard CEO Mark Hurd was charged with "misusing company assets" after steering company money to his alleged love interest. But deploying corporate resources for personal interests is commonplace in Silicon Valley—even, it turns out, at HP.

The Washington Post ran a de facto Facebook press release in its op-ed section today. It was a bizarre decision; the newspaper's already embroiled in one ethics scandal, so why cuddle up to a close, public friend of the paper?

The New York Times just paid $114,000 and apologized to the Singaporean prime minister for possibly implying that he got his job because his dad had the same job.

The co-owner of the Spitfire pub at Microsoft HQ now works for the software company's archenemy Google. Talk about hedging your investments. (NB to Microsofties: We hear the Google-friendly pub spikes your drinks with a productivity-killing chemical. It's called "alcohol.")

In your ethical Monday media column: a movie review in need of some full disclosure, a trade magazine goes wacko, CBS is too good for Anderson Cooper, and Playboy looks grim(mer).

The White House was responsible for the initial marketing of the health care reform effort—and they botched it. Despite the pharmaceutical industry funding an ad campaign produced by a firm with ties to David Axelrod and David Plouffe!

Heading up the renewed push for those controversial, clothes-penetrating scanners at airports is former homeland security secretary Michael Chertoff. His consulting firm represents companies who make the scanners, but you wouldn't know it from reading the papers.

Ombudsmen, the Internal Affairs officers of journalism, should be feared and respected—but mostly: feared—by their respective publications. It's their job. The New York Times' Clark Hoyt? Quickly going soft. The Washington Post's Andrew Alexander? Pussywhipped. What's happening here?

Former New York Times editor Abe Rosenthal famously said, "I don't care if my reporters are fucking elephants, as long as they aren't covering the circus." Someone tell Raymond Hernandez, who covers Congress in D.C. while dating a congressional spokesperson.

Google takes it all back, baby. The company now acknowledges it was wrong to begrudge programmer Jon Skeet a Microsoft MVP Award, just because it came from The Enemy. He can accept the prize. But no whispering sweet nothings.

Yesterday we reported that Microtrend-spouting flack Mark Penn's PR firm was using his Wall Street Journal column to drum up PR business. Penn is ethically compromised. But today, the WSJ tells us they're keeping Penn on as a columnist. Cowards.