The Far Eastern Economic Review received a righteous slagging in Britain's Manchester Guardian newspaper last week for its miserly 250-word obituary on legendary editor Derek Davies, who died on September 15.

Davies, who edited the Review from 1964 to 1989, is credited with turning the Hong Kong-based magazine into a world-class publication, before it was bought and - the Guardian implies - run into the ground by Dow Jones.

'The measure of Davies' achievement is that FEER is a shadow of its former self, both in size and in influence,' the daily reported. 'Sadly, it devoted only 250 miserable words to the announcement of his death.' The Guardian - clearly anxious to distinguish itself - managed 1,000 words.