And there's no doubt, that the elite media certainly do know how to destroy people--it's a huge part of their job. It's just rare that they come out and say it in such a straightforward fashion--or, as Austin Bay notes, that they threaten someone so directly:

The allegations are serious– that an NY Post gossip columnist was shaking down (blackmailing?) people who appeared in his column. (The Times article says the columnist was a part-time employee. Seems the fellow also sells shirts.)

Here’s the choice quote (and the one Drudge features):

In that meeting, the person involved in the investigation said, Mr. Stern spoke of Page Six’s power.

“We know how to destroy people,” Mr. Stern said, according to a person reading a transcript of the meeting. “It’s what we do. We do it without creating liability. That’s our specialty.”

Mr. Stern is Jared Paul Stern, the Post’s Page Six gossip columnist.

Celebrities (for example, movie stars) may disparage gossip columns, but they rely on gossip to hype their movies and keep their names “in play” between movies. Journalism is increasingly tabloid and the line between “gossip column” and reporting is often nil. Several years ago I heard the term “gossip column” applied to Washington Beltway political columns. Indeed, what’s the difference between a column based on political leak or innuendo and a column based on celebrity leak and innuendo — the subject matter is allegedly different, but the techniques are strikngly similar.

Update: Welcome readers from the Pajamas Mothership; click here for a follow-up post.