The virtues of going quietly are much overstated. Book publisher Judith Regan, an incredibly aggressive executive in an incredibly passive industry, was offered $6m after being fired by her employer, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. After she threatened to expose a call from a Murdoch henchman — urging her not to testify against her former lover, Bernie Kerik — the terms improved. Maybe she could have gotten a better deal if Kerik still had the potential to embarrass the former Republican front-runner, Rudy Giuliani. Even so, the rumored $20m-$25m payoff in today's settlement is a nice improvement over Murdoch's initial offer. (Update: Another source says more like $10m, though definitions may vary.) Even after legal fees, and a slanging match (anti-semite! Giu-lovers!) with some of the dirtiest players in politics and media. If anyone could out-slang Roger Ailes, the former Nixon aide who built up Fox News for Murdoch, it's Judith Regan.

Contact information for this author is not available.