On his Sky News show last night, News Corp veteran Andrew Bolt addressed his employer’s lawsuit against Crikey (he calls us a “far-left internet gossip magazine, quite scurrilous at times”) during an interview with The Australian’s media writer Sophie Elsworth. And while it would be too much to ask that they wouldn’t report on Murdoch’s statement of claim as though it were literal fact, rather than a collection of allegations, Bolt did at least give an indication that the lawsuit may not have been the best idea.
“Frankly I would not have given Crikey this platform, they’re milking it for all its worth, they’re putting ads everywhere. I wouldn’t give this rubbish thing of Eric Beecher’s a platform, or taken the risk of going up against an activist judge,” said Bolt, adding “if you’re on the right, an activist judge [is] gonna slot you if they can.”
He only spends two minutes on us — he’s much keener to make fun of Meghan Markle’s new podcast at the moment, which we can understand.
Bolt has been sued in the past, for defamation and most notoriously for breaching the Racial Discrimination Act, so he has an insight into Crikey‘s current experience. But he’s never sued anyone else in the media — as far we know he’s never even threatened it. Seems his stance on defamation is a bit closer to Murdoch senior than Murdoch junior?
