Gary Pruitt

The New Yorker's Ken Auletta began this morning's all-star media panel, held at the W Hotel in midtown, with a question for McClatchy CEO Gary Pruitt.

Would he have fired Dean Baquet from the Los Angeles Times?

"I doubt it," he responded, "but I have no idea."

Laughter ensued, not simply because of the query, legitimate in light of Baquet's fallout with L.A. Times parent, the Tribune Company. It had more to do with Mr. Baquet, now New York Times D.C. bureau chief, being flanked by the two men.

All three were on stage, for roughly 90 minutes, to discuss the fate of the newspaper industry, the latest gathering of Syracuse University's Newhouse School in New York.

Unsurprisingly, Si was sitting right up front.  read more »

Media machers filled the ballroom for the 8 a.m. breakfast, including the New Yorker's David Remnick, Time Warner chief Dick Parksons, and the Ingrassia brothers, Larry and Paul, representing the N.Y. Times and Wall Street Journal, respectively. There was a gaggle of media reporters, as well as other notables like former New York Mayor (and New York Press columnist!) Ed Koch.