CRIKEY DOUBLES STANDARDS

Crikey's Jonathan Green has apologised to Andrew Bolt for some of the name calling coming out of Pure Poison. Reader Toaf is mystified:

I missed the accusations that Bolt was either a liar or a racist. I know that none of the authors here would call him a racist...

Sure they would: in a December 2008 Blair/Bolt watch piece titled "Still a dickhead" Jeremy Sear says Bolt is "racist" and "dishonest".

Further from Green:

Our comments code, the code our bloggers/moderators are contracted to observe, is based on the guidelines followed by Guardian publications. It covers most of the bases. On top of that, we will try where we can to weed out not just the vexatious and insulting, but also the frivolous and time wasting.

In short, Green expects all concerned will "play the ball, not the columnist". Bloggers are fair game, however:

As far as bottom-feeders go, little-known blogger J.F. Beck was the most unctuous to weigh in to yesterday’s Pure Poison attack. Beck’s blog has for years been little more than an exercise in ingratiating himself to Tim Blair with creepy personal pot-shots Jeremy Sear and ham-fisted attacks on Antony Loewenstein. Not surprisingly for someone of Blair’s ego, it seems to have worked — the two exchange links (and cuddly emails) with almost the same loving frequency as Blair and Bolt.

I won’t bother posting a link to Beck’s site because it (like the man himself, who all those years ago stalked Jeremy until he’d uncovered his identity) truly is a steaming pile of shit. But if you really must have a look at it, you can find a link in Legal Eagle’s blogroll at (gasp!) anti-bullying-humour-authority Helen Dale’s site.

Yep, Crikey is the home of high standards.

Update: Toaf's comment has disappeared. Imagine that.