Corrupt falafelateer Bill O'Reilly loves nothing more than a good old-fashioned ambush interview. Except when he's the ambushee, in which case he will attack you with his umbrella and try to have you arrested. That's what he did last night when an activist armed with a video camera caught him apparently leaving a Newt Gingrich fundraiser.

Congratulations to brittle newsmatron Barbara Walters on landing a blockbuster exclusive with Syrian madman Bashar Al Assad, who is responsible for the wanton murder of 4,000 of his own men, women, and children. Or as Walters put it, a "mild-mannered ophthalmologist." It's time for her to go.

An enterprising fella named Bill Lucey took it upon himself to ask a bunch of prominent news organizations what their most highly-trafficked news story of the year was, on their websites. The results may surprise you! But we doubt it. Highlights:

Scandal in the rarefied and ultimately self-satisfied and pointless world of high-end wine reviewing! Jay Miller has stepped down from his job as a wine reviewer for Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, a wine publication which is considered very well-well-well by the la-dee-da set. Miller says his departure has been long-planned. Which is good timing, considering that bribery scandal he's embroiled in now.

Oregon's shield law, which protects journalists from being forced to reveal a source, doesn't apply to independent bloggers, a court ruled. Sucks to be you, Oregon bloggers. Try printing out your blog posts and pretending to be a newspaper.

The holidays are almost upon us, which means it's time for you to take a careful look at your neighbor and report any and all suspicious activity to your immediate supervisor. At least it is at the New York Times, which just sent a memo to all staffers urging them snitch on any co-worker who may have engaged in any "potential ethical or legal violations." IF YOU SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING. David Pogue, your ears are burning! Memo after the jump.

Bono. This guy. The guy from U2. But you probably know him for being the world's all-around best human. He's not just some rock star that groupies want to bang; he's some rock star who's always writing op-eds about Serious World Issues, which makes an entirely new set of groupies want to bang him.

Wherefore the laid-off journalist? Thousands of well-trained, conscientious, and skilled reporters and editors have been laid off in the past few years, fallen victim to the recession and the euphemistic "changing nature of the media." Countless others saw the way the cookie was crumbling and got out by choice/ necessity.

Syracuse's assistant basketball coach, Bernie Fine, was fired after being accused of child molestation. And now, on top of it all, there's this photo choice by the Tacoma News Tribune. When will this nightmare end?

The Tucker Carlson-helmed Daily Caller publication has an EXCLUSIVE story today that disrupts the very fabric of our political system and could even alter the trajectory of the cosmos for millions of years to come, killing us all retroactively, too, and so on! THE HEADLINE, PLEASE: "Exclusive: Obama in 2006: I ‘stole' book title ‘Audacity of Hope' from Rev. Wright, ‘my pastor.'" Has your face begun to melt yet, or are your eyes merely exploding?

Facebook has released its list of the most-shared news stories of 2011. If Facebook were a newspaper, it would be Reader's Digest, National Geographic and Susan Miller's Astrology Zone all mixed up in a tepid casserole.

As if the News Corp. hacking scandal weren't already lousy with pitch-perfect villains, a new one has topped them all. Former News of the World deputy features editor Paul McMullan gave a bravura performance today before a British government inquiry into the press scandal, gamely defending the most loathsome transgressions of his colleagues in the U.K. tabloid press with Snidely Whiplash relish.

In your mordant Monday media column: NotW readers disappear, newspapers must advertise, Keith Gessen's pale jail tale, the Tribune Co. screws more shareholders, in-house news, and your headline fuckup of the day.

In your tricky Tuesday media column: how to get fired at the Washington Post, NPR listeners are just so ugh, Lane Brown to New York mag, Michelangelo Signorile to HuffPo, and a shocking report about women in media.

The eagle-eyed New York Times has noticed the curious planking fad, just seven months after everyone else did. The annoying internet trend of newspaper articles about planking just won't go away.

Fascist comedy rag the New York Post has consistently produced more Occupy Wall Street-related works of fiction than any other New York-area performance artist. Remember how they essentially tried to pin all of the world's evils on one woman because she had dreadlocks? Really, really advanced stuff, people.

In your merciless Monday media column: Bloomberg rules, Romenesko is back, the endless "off the record" debate, David Frum vs. Fox News, and Luke Russert's all grown up.

In your finally Friday media column: Newsweek sucks, Chelsea Clinton's NBC infiltration works, a bodybuilder becomes a magazine editor, drone journalism arrives, and your angry layoff rant of the day.

Earlier this week, New Yorkers were shaken and alarmed by a report that Starbucks could be closing some of its restrooms in the city, leaving us all with nowhere to urinate except in Roger Ailes' face. The company denied the report, but this is simply too important of a story to "take their word for it." Now, the New York Times is on the case!

The New York Post, the pandering tabloid of the fascist power structure, has spared no effort chronicling the most important story of the Occupy Wall Street movement: the presence of some hippie lady of which the New York Post does not approve. Today: the hippie lady villain rides again!