Rupert Murdoch didn’t officially buy Dow Jones & Company, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal until Thursday but his influence was already apparent. Triumph of the family man: Rupert Murdoch's second son James has now been put in charge of running News Corp's European and Asian operations, cementing his status as likely successor to his father — not bad for a publicity-shy, home-loving type. Too young to write for Page One? Jack Shafer on a journalism school professor's lame complaint. A review of Turning Back the Clock: Hot Wars and Media Populism by Umberto Eco. Foer’s foggy New Republic retraction doesn’t please everyone. Crunks 2007: The year in media errors and corrections. Revenge of the "citizen journalist": If anyone can practice "journalism" on a blog, what's the point? Time magazine's former editor Walter Isaacson asks: Would Benjamin Franklin by a blogger? From Mute, ironic distance is ambiguous; it grounds both critique and detached resignation to the status quo —what becomes of it in the viral world of web 2.0? Cass Sunstein on reinforced_nuttiness.com: Want to see yourself in the extreme? Log on. No linkup for you! In the world of online community, one authoritative man can dictate your social life. Where are your friends in cyberspace? Closer than you might think, says Internet researcher Jon Kleinberg. Is there a numerical cap on how many friends we can have?
