* Larry Platt on the unmasking of Craig LaBan and why it's running his photo in the September issue:
In his editor's letter, Philadelphia magazine's Larry Platt writes that LaBan's photo has already
appeared in the Chestnut Hill Local and Ted Beitchman's Real Philly magazine. Platt says Philly mag has always protected LaBan's identity, but "this whole debate of his anonymity just smacks of so much self-importance. Listen, the guy eats meals and writes about them. He's not Valerie Plame, okay?" [via Gross]
* Willing suspension of disbelief time: Howard Gensler says Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston will play Mr. and Mrs. Grogan in the film version of "Marley & Me." Someone please ring Shakira and let her know she'll be playing me in the film version of my forthcoming book, "Oliver Quinn, Triflin' Tom Cat."
* From Attytood, the latest skirmish in the most played-out war of the 21st Century. No, not that one. In this one, a journalism prof disses political bloggers who think they "broke" the Walter Reed scandal, when it was the REAL journalists at the WaPo who reported the story and won a Pulitzer for it. Which is not true, since the story won't be eligible for the prize until next year.
Is this sloppy reporting or lazy editing? Who can tell. All I know is, back in Berner's intro newswriting class at Dear Old State, that kind of major fact error would have earned me an instant "F."
