Mahergate

...confirmed.  Nine hours after the blogosphere got to it.  What's up Matt Rowe?  You sleep in?

Rumour: Reporter Who Broke Robocon Story Booted From Manning Conference Party!

Source.  Confirmed here (M. Rowe from Ipolitics)  among other places.

PS.  On a related matter, don't get too excited by Coyne's column from yesterday, mourning how the CPoC's has lost its principles.  He's been writing the same piece for years now.  They still let him into their events, which means that being reamed by Coyne, for a CPoC hardcore, is a bit like being spanked by your grandma.  It doesn't hurt that much.  It isn't meant to.

Update: Dawg has some details that I missed, including the fact that Glen McGregor of the Ottawa Citizen was there and left the party in solidarity with Maher.

Tories Court Media

[Stephen Maher] said that he's heard that 'vicious, scandalous rumours' are being spread about him, and he believes the source is a Tory staffer. Mr. Maher said he doesn't think the rumours, which he declined to elaborate on, only saying they were in reference to his 'personal conduct,' have attained wide currency, though he was obviously rattled by them.

I'd make a wager on the staffer in question but, given the nature of the Tory beast, I suppose it could almost be any of them.