A recent opinion poll shows that many Americans have serious misgivings about the war fever that currently dominates Washington politics. "A majority of Americans say that the nation's economy is in its worst shape in nearly a decade and that President Bush and Congressional leaders are spending too much time talking about Iraq while neglecting problems at home," reports the New York Times. "The number of Americans who approved of the way Mr.

Hollywood is making a movie about Stephen J. Glass, one of the most notorious frauds in the recent history of journalism. Formerly a hot star at The New Republic, Glass was fired after he was caught fabricating events, people and whole news stories. Given the nature of their subject matter, the filmmakers say they tried extra hard to make their movie stick to the real facts about Glass. Nevertheless, the film contains invented scenes and dialogue, composite characters, and a fictional news intern.

Ever since TV talking head Paula Zahn jumped to CNN from Fox News Channel last fall, her former employers have badmouthed her relentlessly. "The jibes are sometimes brutal, sometimes humorous and once even profane," writes David Bauder. "The underlying message seems clear: It's not wise to cross Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes." In an interview, Ailes compared Zahn to a "dead raccoon." Radio shock jock Erich "Mancow" Muller, a vassal of the Fox empire, called her a "knucklehead" and said, "I just want to punch her in the face. ... I'll kill you, Paula. We will kill you, Paula."