Chris Smith’s carbon tax 2GB defiance. Sydney 2GB shock jock Chris Smith seems to have claimed a victory over his station’s management, proceeding yesterday with an outside broadcast on the Parliament House lawns.

As Crikey reported last month, 2GB general manager Ian Holland told the ABC he would ditch the planned all-day carnival after being queried by crack Aunty political reporter Alison Carabine over Smith’s anti-carbon tax rally plugs. Media Watch also had a go, highlighting Smith’s defence that he wasn’t a proper journalist.

But that doesn’t seem to have dissuaded the crusading afternoons host, who appeared in the tent yesterday to air interviews with Nick Xenophon and someone called “Grover” Logan. A victory for democracy, clearly, despite Alan Jones’ and Ray Hadley’s decisions to fall in behind Holland’s diktat. — Andrew Crook

Abbott avoids a grilling. It would appear a Canberra butcher shop has some sort of beef with Tony Abbott. Abbott, who invited a group of journalists to the shop for a photo opportunity, was allegedly refused entry to the butcher earlier this morning. Crikey rang the Dickson butcher and was told “he’s not here, all I can tell you is he’s with a group of journalists at parliament house.”

The motto of the shop located in Dickson — “quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten” — suggests this is one butcher shop with some strong morals. Abbott’s photo opportunity was subsequently moved to a meat wholesaler in Fyshwick.

But the Oz journo Twitterati served up some delicious meat puns over the news:

Alex Hart, Seven News: heard the butcher was too chicken
Annabel Crabb, ABC: Tony Abbott’s butcher picfac reduced to an angry rump
David Speers, Sky News: Heard about Abbott and the butcher…just offal
Kieran Gilbert, Sky News: it’s a hambush
Latika Bourke, ABC: Ah, so Tony Abbott ended up going to meat wholesaler in Fyshwick after being boned by the butcher.
Michelle Grattan, The Age: A chop for Tony?
Malcolm Farr, Daily Telegraph: So much for steak-holders
Phillip Coorey, The Sydney Morning Herald: heard his advance team might get the chop!

— Crikey intern Clare O’Meara

Front Page of the Day. More News of the World revelations, and a smoking gun …

Phone hacking: News of the World reporter’s letter reveals cover-up.

“Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch and their former editor Andy Coulson all face embarrassing new allegations of dishonesty and cover-up after the publication of an explosive letter written by the News of the World’s disgraced royal correspondent, Clive Goodman.” — The Guardian

Gina Rinehart’s share sale gets 10 out of Ten for weird.

“Mining magnate Gina Rinehart has pulled off one of the stranger director’s trades in a while with the sale of a small portion of her stake in Ten Network Holdings. A notice filed with the Australian Securities Exchange yesterday afternoon showed the country’s richest person had sold 1.19 million Ten shares over the past six days.” — The Australian

Why would anyone pay to read The New York Times online?

“The New York Times digital subscription program has been live for nearly six months, and it’s being called an early success. There were more than 224,000 paid subscribers at the end of June, and the site doesn’t seem to have hemorrhaged traffic.” — Poynter

Survey: US business journalists’ median salary is $56,220

“US business journalists reported a median salary of $56,220 for 2010-11, according to research for the Donald W. Reynolds National Centre for Business Journalism. ” — Reynolds Center

Interpublic sells half its stake in Facebook.

“The Interpublic Group of Companies, which has owned a tiny stake in Facebook since the days the social networking website was just for college students, is selling half its holdings for a hefty profit.” — New York Times

Men sentenced to four years for inciting riots on Facebook.

“Two men have been sentenced to four years in jail for attempting to use Facebook to ‘organise and orchestrate’ disorder.” — Mashable

Advertising Standards Bureau bans Energy Watch ad for racial stereotyping.

“An ad for Energy Watch has been banned by the Advertising Standards Bureau for racially stereotyping Indian people as ‘door knockers’. The ASB ruled that the depiction of the door-to-door salesman as an Indian man with a strong accent perpetuates a negative stereotype, and the suggestion that the Indian man may not be honest is also offensive.” — mUmBRELLA