FoxNews.com gossip Roger Friedman launched a seemingly personal battle against TV Guide today when he didn't see Tim Russert's face peering at him from its cover this week. While some folks think the media have gone overboard with Russert tributes, Friedman expected the magazine covering Russert's industry would put him on the cover. And when he didn't spot the mug of the deceased? He blamed new owner Macrovision, which is trying to sell off the print title while hanging on to its dot-com.

Except as so often happens with Friedman, his argument holds little water.

Friedman, who's pissed that reality TV disaster Denise Richards scored the cover, asserts "the editors had plenty of time to put Russert on the cover but decided against it."

But as magazine spokeswoman Julie Farin tells us, "Unfortunately, our cover had already begun to ship to subscribers on Thursday, June 12. However, given the importance of this story, we were able to go back on-press to add a major two-page feature on Mr. Russert for our newsstand edition."

Friedman never bothered to check his facts with the magazine or request comment, says a source; he simply moved forward with the hit job piece as he planned.

And even still: What if TV Guide had the time to go back and swap out its subscriber edition cover with some Russert play? A cover mention would've been appropriate, but with the magazine headed in a new, younger direction under new editor Debra Birnbaum, perhaps it wouldn't have been the smartest idea to dedicate the entire newsstand cover to the late Meet The Press anchor. (Yes, sometimes it's a business decision.)

The gossip columnist goes on to say, "Russert, loved and respected, was celebrated by every major publication in the U.S. last week." Perhaps, but actually it was only People that put him on the cover.

Meanwhile, spectators might be wondering where's Friedman's attack on Entertainment Weekly is. The Time Inc. magazine that's also in the business of covering television, which celebrated its 1,000th issue this week, opted not to put Russert on the front. Its choice? The listicle-filled "The New Classics" cover.