WORDS OF POWER

Note: Update V added. Be sure to click it.

Jeremy Sear only days ago denied he is a journalist. Having thought about it he realises he is now endowed with extra-special Crikey powers: no door will be closed to him; all phone calls will be taken; all questions will be answered; and he will be taken seriously. To activate his super-journalist powers all he need do is utter these four words:

It's Jeremy from Crikey

Who, from where?

Update: Emboldened with new powers, Jeremy can ring up Andrew Bolt to ask for details rather than encourage his readers to engage in the "stalking" he finds so distasteful:

Anyone know anything about Bolt's background?

I'm curious. I had heard rumours that he was originally actually a member of the ALP. Is this true? How did he come to his wacky conservatism? How did he come to be employed as a columnist? What did he do beforehand?

Could be interesting.

Update II: Only days after vowing to “give our subjects an opportunity to respond to our conclusions before we publish them”, Jeremy posts an item making certain conclusions about the source of a Tim Blair item:

Yeah, tim, we got that email forwarded to us, too.

I wonder – did Jeremy contact Blair before publication?

Update III: Under orders from Rupert himself, Herald Sun technical staff preempt Jeremy's use of his magic words:

I have attempted to email Bolt... Unfortunately the Herald Sun email server seems determined to protect Andrew from any contact from ERIC BEECHER’S SITE, so it kept bouncing back.

After several hours the above was amended to read:

Unfortunately the Herald Sun email server seems determined to protect Andrew from any contact from ERIC BEECHER’S SITE (note: I’m kidding; I’m sure it’s just a technical issue), so it kept bouncing back. I’ll post his reply if he gives us one.

Bolt can't answer emails that aren't getting through. Strange.

Update IV: Andrew Bolt – via email – reveals the shocking truth behind Jeremy's bounced query:

My mailbox this morning was full.

Oops!

Update V: Hands up everyone who saw this coming. More here. Ouch!