Yesterday Margo Kingston announced she was pulling her Webdiary from the SMH
but we checked the site today and it’s still up and running, complete
with Margo’s face plastered all over it. Crikey rang acting SMH editor
and Fairfax editor-in-chief Mark Scott for an explanation. Despite
editing newspapers that rely on hundreds of interviews every day,
Scott declined to talk to us. But he did provide this written reply:

We have been talking with
Margo about her blog for some time. She had some technology issues which
we were resolving. But it was increasingly
clear to us that Margo aspired to develop her blog totally independently of any
major media organisation. She decided to terminate her contract with us and
branch out on her own. We thank her for her work over the years and wish her
well. The smh.com.au site will continue to
develop new blogs which will provide opportunities for readers to express their
views and communicate with each other, in addition to our strong breaking news
coverage.