In Nicky Hager’s the book all about me called “Dirty Politics”, Nicky Hager traced the whole origins of his my work back to the award-winning hit on Len Brown which resulted not just in gongs for myself but for the New Zealand Herald.
Wasn’t it terrible for a politician to actually be attacked for his political beliefs!
Yesterday I gave you a small taste of NZME. Editorial Director for Business, Fran O’Sullivan’s involvement. She sent me information about my nemesis Michelle Boag seeking to discredit Boag’s commentary about Len Brown.
As promised I can reveal that also went much further than throwing our mutual enemy Michelle Boag under a large winebox.
On Tuesday night at the left wing love fest with John Campbell and Nicky Hager, Fran O’Sullivan claims she sent an “internal memo” to former Editor Tim Murphy “some months before” the book Dirty Politics was published warning him of what was happening. I don’t quite know how to respond to that given she was still passing me information and complicit in seeking my feedback right up until the book was released.
This exchange follows where not only does Fran O’Sullivan encourage my work on Len Brown but confirms my sources, asks me when the EY report was due on Len Brown and then tells me when she will run it in the media next.
A few days later she wrote this column similar, and this one about precisely what we had been chatting about.
She then goes on to explain to me for some reason how her contacts in the business community have pressured Doug McKay in an “independent report” to make sure Len Brown’s hanging is of the “utmost integrity” and has another request for me to provide her an update on the campaign as well as mentioning her strategy to run it on the radio.
On Tuesday evening, both John Campbell and Nicky Hagar harped on about the treatment of academics. Dirty Politics went in to bat for those poor sanctimonious academics that received some sunlight on this blog. My view of course is that in any debate both sides should have the chance to vigorously debate their points. We should always allow troughing academics a chance to speak because they usually always lose the argument the moment their lips move…
Academics always want unfettered free speech and for some silly letters to mean their arguments are so powerful they don’t need to be questioned. I don’t agree with this arrogance on their behalf and all of a sudden this is Dirty Politics.
There was a nasty little exchange during Dirty Politics between AUT lecturer Merja Myllyhalhti who claimed Fran O’Sullivan was in an “Unethical alliance with bloggers”.
That in some ways is correct, unlike her colleagues Fran O’Sullivan has never “come clean” about collaborating with me.
Myllyahti ended up folding and issued a weak apology.
Perhaps after my disclosure here of Fran O’Sullivan’s collaboration in what Nicky Hager has actually called the “origins” of the book Dirty Politics, it is Myllyahti who should now be the one issued the apology?
And Nicky Hager has the gall to say I am not kind to academics.
Sanctimonious journalists claiming the high ground really shouldn’t when they have as much to hide as Fran O’Sullivan.

As much at home writing editorials as being the subject of them, Cam has won awards, including the Canon Media Award for his work on the Len Brown/Bevan Chuang story. When he’s not creating the news, he tends to be in it, with protagonists using the courts, media and social media to deliver financial as well as death threats.
They say that news is something that someone, somewhere, wants kept quiet. Cam Slater doesn’t do quiet and, as a result, he is a polarising, controversial but highly effective journalist who takes no prisoners.
He is fearless in his pursuit of a story.
Love him or loathe him, you can’t ignore him.
To read Cam’s previous articles click on his name in blue.