This is an issue of many parts. I agree with the campaign led by Whale to tidy up name suppressions. I don’t care about the attention seeking. But I don’t like the dishonesty – Whale is dropping strong clues on his blog as to who the Comedian is, despite what he claimed about respecting that suppression.

The main issue is not just about suppression, it is also about selection. If a name is suppressed and no media selects it for publishing then the public will know nothing about it. (We will know nothing about it if the name isn’t suppressed either).

If a name suppression is selected by media for publishing then it will have the reverse effect to what was legally intended, far more people will know about it (and who’s name was suppressed) than many non-suppressed cases. I’d never heard of the Entertainer and the Comedian before the suppression publicity – and I wouldn’t have recognised their names if they had been published.

The spotlight should be on the appropriateness of name suppressions especially in “celebrity” type cases.
But the spotlight should also be on all media – on how they all leak enough clues that they will lead to recognition, and the effect of their selection of what to publicise.

I think name suppression needs to be harder to get for some people, although perhaps it’s reasonable until they are found guilty.

And suppression needs to be adhered to much more rigidly when it is granted, which means no clues of any type allowed, and no video footage with claytons pixelation.

No offence, just wondered.

He looked normal and spoke eloquently.

What’s with hassling the guy for what he was wearing in the other thread?

Geez, close minded NZ.

Good luck mate.

Anyone in Auckland who wants to toast the Whale should come to tomorrow night’s Auckland bloggers drinks – rumour has it that he’ll be there…

I like that, one click on the thumbs up isn’t enough to express how much I like that.

Ahab was crazy, not the great white whale.

Understatement of the year already DPF!

Keep it up mate.

Wot about micketsavage et al who hide behind pseudonyms following the dictate of Trevor Mallard that all Labour Party Parliamentary Staffers should follow the advice of Mayor Daly and post (vote) early and often under assumed names.

The best of luck to him in his battle against celebrity double standards.