THUMBS DOWN Peter’s Principles

THUMBS DOWN to Peter Elkind, editor of the Delias Observer and author of the weekly “BeloWatch” column, which regularly and self-righteously excoriates The Dallas Morning News on media ethics. When Observer columnist Molly Ivins was caught in the act of plagiarism, Elkind deemed the resulting media tempest-a controversy that sparked coverage in the Washington Post-unworthy of comment. That means readers who depend solely on the tiresome tabloid remain blissfully unaware that Ivins’ reporting has been called into question. At least publisher Rich Conner of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which syndicates Ivins’ column, came publicly to her defense (a bit prematurely, it turned out; Ivins herself apologized), Perhaps the Morning News will do us all a service by beginning an “”ObserverWarch” column, We’d do it ourselves, but it seems the wearisome weekly provides too much material for a monthly to handle.