Newsbriefs 8/3: "The Toothpaste is Out of the Tube"

• Happy News for Robin Roberts: The GMA anchor underwent surgery for breast cancer today, said to be "very successful." We wish her the best.
• WaPo, Birmingham News Win Accolades: The Associated Press Managing Editors bestowed Public Service Awards to the Washington Post for its in-depth coverage of the conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and to the Birmingham News for its lengthy investigation into corruption in the Alabama community college system. That investigation's primary author, Brett J. Blackledge, was previously honored with the Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting.
• "Conflicted, but hopeful." That's how WSJ managing editor Paul Steiger describes his feelings on the Rupert Murdoch regime change. Steiger, who kept his own counsel during the months of waiting, said, ""I just wasn't convinced that acquisition by Rupert Murdoch was the worst outcome...Really, the only alternative to Rupert was to go it alone," though, that was "always [his] preferred alternative."
• Admittedly, It Is Hard to Keep Track of Rupert's Many Tentacles: But, really, how is it that John Edwards couldn't manage to remember that he had a book deal with Harper Collins before demanding that Hillary Clinton return her own Murdoch money?
• Who knew? Rush Limbaugh apparently has a pretty low opinion of GOP voters: In responding to Jeff Jarvis, Limbaugh made it clear what he thinks of the YouTube questioners, calling them "idiots" and the "lowest common denominator of pop-culture. There can be little doubt that Limbaugh was fully aware that "Specifically, there are 3.3 million self-identified Republicans on the user-generated video site versus 3.1 million Democrats" when he made his remarks. "Excellence in Broadcasting," right?
• Well played, Editor and Publisher!: The first two paragraphs of this story win the award for the Best Use of Scare Quotes in a Rupert Murdoch-Related Article.