Crikey
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Crikey is an independent Australian electronic magazine comprising an open access website and an email newsletter available to subscribers. Well known in Australian political, media and business circles, Crikey's influence extends beyond its subscriber base (more than 14,000 paying, and 30,000 'squatters')[citation needed], described by former Federal Opposition Leader Mark Latham as the "most popular website in Parliament House" in the The Latham Diaries. It often reports unpopular opinions and breaks stories not found in more mainstream media outlets.
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[edit] Origins
Crikey was founded by shareholder-activist Stephen Mayne, a journalist and former staffer of then Liberal Victorian premier Jeff Kennett. It developed out of Mayne's "jeffed.com" website, which in turn developed out of his abortive independent candidate campaign for Kennett's seat of Burwood. Longstanding Crikey political commentators/reporters include former Liberal insider Christian Kerr (who originally wrote under the pseudonym Hillary Bray) and Hugo Kelly.
[edit] Criticism
Critics of Crikey have argued that it often publishes material with little or no substantial evidence to back it up. Stephen Mayne, the then proprietor, was forced to sell his house in order to settle defamation cases brought by radio presenter Steve Price and former ALP senator Nick Bolkus over comments posted about them by Crikey. The publication has since formally adopted stronger correction and right-of-reply policies, including an undertaking to put the rectifications of major errors in a position of equal prominence to the original reports, a policy almost never practiced by traditional newspapers.
Staff of Treasurer Peter Costello banned Crikey from the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Budget 'lock ups', in which financial journalists are shown the Federal Budget papers some hours in advance so that their publications can report the Budget in depth as soon as it is released, on the uncertain grounds that Crikey is not considered to be part of the "mainstream media".
[edit] Sale to Private Media Partners
On February 1, 2005, it was announced that Stephen Mayne had sold Crikey to Private Media Partners, another independent media operator in Australia, owned by former Editor-In-Chief of the Sydney Morning Herald, Eric Beecher, for $A1 million. Under the agreement, Mayne continues to write for Crikey as a business commentator.
Under PMP's stewardship the publication aimed for "professional" style, avoiding the use of inhouse nicknames and other idiosyncrasies of the original Crikey. Soon afterwards, Hugo Kelly was sacked on the grounds of professional misconduct.
