Tribune acknowledged that chairman Sam Zell was interviewed in January by federal prosecutors as a "potential witness" in the criminal investigation of former Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich. Zell also hired well-known Chicago defense lawyer Anton Valukas to represent him. Valukas is a former U.S. Attorney "who specializes in white-collar criminal investigations and major civil cases," says the Chicago Tribune in a story tonight on the L.A. Times website. According to telephone logs, Zell placed a call to Blagojevich on Dec. 8, the day before the governor's arrest. Zell's people said it was a courtesy call about Tribune's decision to enter bankruptcy.

Speaking of Zell: L.A. journalist Patrick Burke has posted a video piece at Current.com on "the Zell effect" at the L.A. Times that quotes me, Mark Lacter, LAT reporter Howard Blume and former Times reporters Henry Weinstein and William Lobdell.