The book ‘Whale Oil’ was launched on Tuesday night, and got significant news coverage yesterday. I think this is an important book, and I think that it is worth reading.
If you want to borrow the book from a library there could be a long wait – someone reported yesterday at The Standard: “I have just ordered a copy from Auckland Library. 21 of 21 holds on one copy.”
Whitcoulls have copies available in most stores – you can check out where on their website, and also order online.
It can also be ordered directly from the publisher potton & burton: (this is an easy and fast process, I ordered other books from them recently):
WHALE OIL
Availability: In Stock
In May 2012 Auckland businessman Matt Blomfield found himself the target of a vicious online attack, the work of Whale Oil blogger Cameron Slater. The attack came out of the blue, destroying Blomfield’s reputation and career, stealing his identity, turning him into a social outcast. Two years after the online attack began an armed gunman came to Blomfield’s house and tried to kill him. He only survived because the intruder’s shotgun misfired.
But Matt Blomfield decided to fight back. He spent seven years and many hundreds of thousands of dollars taking a defamation case against Slater, which he ultimately won, establishing that Slater’s vendetta was based entirely on lies.
This book is a remarkable piece of investigative writing, a story of courage and tenacity, which reminds us how important it is to stand up to bullies, and to be reassured that in the end they do not always win.
There is an interesting story around the book cover – Matt’s grandfather was famous New Zealand wrestler Lofty Blomfield:
He is credited for inventing “The Octopus Clamp”, an early version of the Scorpion Deathlock,
Disclosure: I assisted with a little bit of information for the book, but I have no financial interest in the book nor in sales of the book.
I’m promoting it here because I think it is an important book that has wider implications than the Matt Blomfield saga – it shows how easy and bad destructive blogging and online activity can be, and how poorly our laws and our policing practices allow us too deal with it.
Your NZ 
Loki
/ 30th May 2019got mine, read it.
Highly recommended