News news, good and bad

Strange day in the news biz yesterday. On what's normally a day of journalistic celebration, announcement of the year's Pulitzer Prizes, the Los Angeles Times formally retracted it's horribly flawed Tupac Shakur story of last month.

As was alleged earlier and then confirmed by the Times' own investigation of its own investigation, the paper was duped by some phony documents -- provided by a known con man, in prison no less. It's a terrible black eye for the paper I love, and I feel bad for the new editor Russ Stanton, a guy I know and like and who I hate to see having such trouble so soon after taking over.

Locally, the Seattle Times announced yesterday that previous budget cuts, a hiring freeze and even property sales wouldn't be enough: The paper is whacking about 200 jobs, including layoffs to come in the newsroom. It had to be a tough day over there at Fairview and John yesterday, and I can't imagine the mood was much better for my friends at the P-I. Is this a preview of what's to come there too?

The coolest Pulitzer announced yesterday was an honorary prize awarded to my hero, Bob Dylan, for his ''profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.''

Curiously, I didn't see much news coverage singling out Dylan's award. I did like this quote, in an AP story, by David Lang, the classical composer who won the Pulitzer for music. ''Bob Dylan is the most frequently played artist in my household so the idea that I am honored at the same time as Bob Dylan, that is humbling,'' Lang told the AP.

And, coincidentally it seems, the LAT has this nice piece today about a new compilation CD of music drawn from Dylan's XM radio program.