“The ultimate tragedy would be if others failed to follow in her footsteps to report on the savagery of war with such an honest, unflinching gaze,” Ian Birrell writes in the Daily Mail about Marie Colvin (EXCELLENT pic of her leads this one). Colvin’s mother, Rosemarie Colvin, told the New York Times “‘Her editor told me he called her yesterday and said it was getting too dangerous and they wanted to take her out. She said she was doing a story and she wanted to finish it and it was important and she would come out’ on Wednesday.” If you don’t mind watching a 30-second ad first, here’s a video of Colvin’s mom speaking. David Remnick remembers Colvin as a mentor to green foreign correspondents. Allison Silver begins her tribute with a tribute to Allison Silver: “I knew her back at Yale, and she often cited me as the person who started her writing. And I think I was.”
>>Jake Tapper: The White House loves aggressive journalism, as long as it stays overseas
More morning media roundup
• Media General is “exploring the potential sale” of its newspapers. (You can check its properties here.) The company recently got a little breathing room on its debt. (Media General’s Tampa Tribune competes with the Tampa Bay Times, which Poynter owns.)
• Maybe it was a little rosy to emphasize the questions moderators ask candidates in primary debates! After John King asked candidates at last night’s debate what the media’s biggest misconception about them was, “Romney did not answer King’s question, choosing instead to give a closing speech touting his strengths and skills, which led to a mild confrontation with the moderator,” Dylan Byers writes. ” ‘You get to ask the questions you want, I get to give the answers I want,’ Romney said when King pressed him to answer the question.”
>>V-e-r-y slightly related: The politics of Pinterest.
• Bill Keller, live: “Readers…have not forgotten that we blew it on Iraq.”
• How to write about Jeremy Lin: He’s Asian American, not Asian, and he’s not the first player of Asian descent in the NBA. Also, there are some words you might want to avoid using in headlines, says AAJA.
• Honolulu mayoral candidate Ben Cayetano was serious about not speaking to Honolulu Civil Beat. (Previously.)
• Today in Philadelphia newspapering: “By altering coverage, the management disrespected its own mission and shot itself in the foot with an automatic weapon,” writes Richard Aregood. Christopher Wink has some staffing suggestions for the new owners. The Daily News’ Gar Joseph is quoted in this piece with a fabulous description of his paper’s relationship with the Inquirer: “In honor of Newt Gingrich, I’m calling it an open marriage.” Also in Philly, Neil Budde has been named the founding CEO of the Philadelphia Public Interest Information Network.
• The answer to Rupert Murdoch’s domination of the British media? The British government must regulate the British media more closely, says Norman Fowler. (Side note about Fowler, a former Margaret Thatcher cabinet member: He may be the first person to leave a public job citing his desire to spend more time with his family.)
• Some interesting numbers in this look at the Chicago News Cooperative, a story I am nonetheless finding difficult to continue to aggregate with enthusiasm.
• Sam Zell is sorry journalists just couldn’t get with the program, and he rues that “newspaper people are at least as greedy as anybody else.” Jeff Bercovici spatchcocks Zell’s bout of introspection. Ann Powers tweets: “I totally hoarded office supplies while working at the LA Times #greedyjournalist.”
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