PROMINENT columnist and author Marieke Hardy is believed to have paid about $13,000 in a confidential legal settlement over an online shaming campaign.

Last Friday night, Hardy posted a retraction on her blog after erroneously identifying Melbourne man Joshua Meggitt as the author of a hate blog dedicated to her.

Marieke Hardy: Apology issued. Credit:Damian Bennett

''I accept that Joshua is not the writer and I sincerely apologise to him and his family for any upset caused,'' she wrote, linking to her site from Twitter with the one-word post ''apology''.

Her original post - which was removed a few hours after it was published on November 9 this year - accused Mr Meggitt of harassing her in a series of "ranting, violent" passages online.