Melbourne Uni Press visibly blushing. In all this talk about Liberal staffers writing chapters for Liberal MP’s who plagiarise from Kiwi businessmen, let’s not forget the poor folk at Melbourne University Press. If the MUP website is any indicator, the publisher must be wishing a certain book about the Liberal Party’s future would just disappear deeper into the catalogue.

As of 4:45pm yesterday, the new book is absent from the MUP homepage, including from the news feed on the right hand side and the “November Highlights From MUP”. The page dealing with “News and Forthcoming Titles” does mention the book under its “November 2008” section, though it appears below forthcoming titles on Graham Kennedy, Gough Whitlam and cricket. The “Events Calendar” page doesn’t mention the book’s launch, preferring launches of the books about Gough Whitlam, Graham Kennedy and feminism.

Compare this to the huge billing for Peter Costello’s memoirs continue to receive in the homepage’s news feed as well as in the Photo Gallery, as well as the huge success of Wayne Errington and Peter Van Onselen’s excellent biography of former Prime Minister John Winston Howard. If the MUP’s website is any indication, the future of the Liberal Party seems rather uncertain. — Irfan Yusuf

Time Inc hit by drop in ad spending. Time Inc, facing a sharp drop in advertising income, has unveiled a major restructuring that will reportedly involve cuts of 300 to 700 jobs from the US magazine publisher. Time chairman and chief executive Ann Moore announced the reorganisation of the business units at the largest US magazine group in a memo sent to employees late Tuesday. — Sydney Morning Herald

There is life after paper. There will always be a demand for news and journalism. If you don’t believe that, then you have too little faith in the people and in democracy. That market need will be met, though, in new ways by new kinds of businesses operating at new scales and not necessarily with old technology — like printing. I think it’s time to get past the whining, moaning and mourning and start looking to the future. Look to the Monitor. — The Guardian

Fox News and NY Post uncritically report “groundless” Sarkozy story. Special Report host Brit Hume, Fox & Friends co-host Gretchen Carlson, and New York Post writer Geoff Earle uncritically repeated a report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz that French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Sen. Barack Obama’s position on Iran “utterly immature” and “formulations empty of all content” without noting that the French Embassy issued a statement calling the Haaretz report about Sarkozy’s comments “groundless.” — Media Matters

Journalists barred from covering talk. Several journalists were barred from covering the SADC Troika-mediated talks held in Harare on 27 October 2008 as part of efforts to break the impasse over the allocation of ministerial positions in accordance with the terms of an agreement for an inclusive government signed by the Zimbabwe African National Union — Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations. — International Freedom of Expression eXchange

Sony’s quarterley profit falls by 72%. Many analysts say share prices of top Japanese companies have fallen so far as to defy reason. Not only Sony but many of Japan’s best-known brands — including Toyota, Panasonic and Bridgestone — have had their market value drop below their so-called book value, the total worth of their buildings, equipment and other physical assets. “The market is treating Sony and Toyota like pariahs,” Paul Migliorato, head of research at NamiNori, a Honolulu-based equity research firm, said. “Any sense of reality has been hijacked by momentum and fear.” — The New York Times