"Everyone can say what they want on their own site or elsewhere."

Exactly. If said author wants an Internet megaphone without the feedback then he/she should open his/her own blog with the comments disabled and see how far that gets him/her.

How many IT news sites don't have comments these days? Very few.

How many IT news sites that do have comments disable them for just one author? I'll hazard a guess: One.

Kind of odd that this author is afforded the same protection as other publications do for the royal family.