Apology Regarding Perceived Imputations of Previous Blog Post

I refer to previous blog post, "Hunter being Hunted". I wish to clarify the usage of the quote by Michael Atkinson in which he stated that the person who leaked the information would likely receive a promotion. It was never my intention to suggest that this was the motivation for the leak, and it is my assertion that the article, when read in its entirety, does not suggest that this was the intention of the leak. The quote in question was only included to suggest that the alleged leaker was a member of the Left faction.

Whilst it was never my intention for the blog to be read in such a manner, I apologise for this aspect of the article and wish to ensure that all readers are aware that I do not and never did assert that this was a motivating factor.

In addition to this, I have on prior occasions made it clear that I did not share the views expressed by the Premier regarding this issue. I harbor no personal ill-will towards the person named in the previous article, and in fact have found him quite amiable and intelligent on the few occasions that we have met. My blog post was not motivated by any personal vendetta. I wrote the blog based upon reasonable grounds. Having said that, I apologise for the absoluteness of the language used in the article. My motivations are, and always have been, improving the transparency of Government. It was never my intention to publish information which could be construed as misleading.

As a blogger, I do not have the status nor the access to politicians in order to seek out their version of events or their views on a particular matter. Despite this, I ensured that the denials of the person in question were published upon this blog at the earliest convenience. Readers of this blog are entitled to weigh the assertions that I made against the denial of the accused. I apologise for the few hours in which the denials were not available on the blog. The denials were included in the publication of the allegations in other outlets, and were published on this blog prior to the publication of the allegations in other outlets. The readership of this blog remains meagre, despite an increase following the publication in other outlets.

I believe that blogging is an important new tool for ensuring a healthy democracy. A blog should never be used for improper purposes. Whilst I remain steadfast in the beliefs that I hold, I apologise for any ambiguities within the article and for my usage of such absolute language. I re-assert that it was not my intention to imply that action was motivated by aspirations for promotion.