The New York Post/Daily News war is always willingly put aside for the great cause of gossip. And today's big gossip is that Mr. Daily News, Mort Zuckerman, has fired his publicist, Donna Dees.

Of course a crew of Newsers talked to Page Six, and told them Dees' firing was part of a swell of axings at the News, where employees who were hired under Les Goodstein (former News prez) are no longer being tolerated.

"If you don't come out and swear undying allegiance to [News CEO] Mark Kramer and [Editor-in-Chief] Martin Dunn, your days are numbered," one Newser told us. "Kramer and Dunn are paranoid about anyone having anything to do with Les or The Post."

However, our sources don't lay blame on the Post, but the New York Times. The gossip we're hearing is that Mort Zuckerman "loves the New York Times more than his own tabloid," and wanted to see some face time on the cover of the Grey Lady. Dees couldn't get him the press he wanted in the Times, so … well, you already know she's out.

Maybe the Post is right (or maybe they just wanted to plug themselves in their own story?) or maybe our tipster is. Who knows? But we really don't think it was fair to fire Dees either way. The Times won't talk about Mort's BFF Jeffrey Epstein either — so, we really think this task might be a little out of Dees' hands.

REIGN OF TERROR AT NEWS [Page Six]