February 1, 1998

Media coverage of White House sex scandal appears to many in journalism to have blurred boundaries between mainstream and tabloid news; newspapers and news shows have been dominated by story, rife with sensational elements of tabloid news, based heavily on anonymous sources and colored in many instances by what journalists themselves say is speculation and hype; many journalists feel mainstream newspapers have lowered their standards in face of information free-for-all that has resulted from rise of Internet, talk radio and 24-hour cable news (M)

In reporting the White House sex scandal, the nation's news organizations have asked Americans to rely on their judgment in sorting through a heap of facts and rumors. Week in Review offers a guide to the origins of some of the key allegations. Section 4, page 5.

MICHAEL SOLOMON, an editor at Mirabella magazine, was discussing story ideas with a female colleague last week in their 44th-floor office in Manhattan when the little business of the President and Monica Lewinsky came up. The two editors -- both single, both in their 30's -- first kicked around the notion of whether oral sex counted as real sex. Then Mr. Solomon asked, ''Hey, have you heard this one?'' and began to recount a much-circulated Clinton joke. The woman shot him a weary look and replied: ''Yeah, yeah. Heard that one.''

Mark Gilbertson, who heads the junior fund-raising council of Museum of City of New York, is cherished by New York's social elite for seeing that its eligible sons and daughters are introduced to the right sort of potential mates and kept clear of those who do not measure up; many covet a place on his council, but there are other circles in New York society that dismiss both Gilbertson and his set as the B list; photos (M)

New ways of thinking about historic preservation and the revitalization of United States cities will be emphasized at conference sponsored by Historic Districts Council (Postings) (S)