A columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal has resigned after being told he couldn’t write about the newspaper’s new owner, billionaire casino magnate and Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson. John Smith had been barred from writing about Adelson and another casino magnate, Steve Wynn. Both Adelson and Wynn had sued Smith over books he wrote, although neither lawsuit succeeded. Las Vegas Review-Journal editor J. Keith Moyer said publicly at a journalism conference over the weekend he believed it was a “conflict” for Smith to write about Adelson. Smith announced his resignation Tuesday after three decades, writing, “If a Las Vegas columnist is considered 'conflicted' because he’s been unsuccessfully sued by two of the most powerful and outspoken players in the gaming industry, then it’s time to move on. If the Strip’s thin-skinned casino bosses aren’t grist for commentary, who is?”