| Response
by Earth Times Editor-in-Chief Pranay Gupte to
letter from Charles D. McLean of the World Economic
Forum:
My
first reaction to Mr. McLean's letter was of utter
amazement. Amazement that a spokesman for one of the
world's most prestigious organizations would blatantly
lie about a situation about which scores of witnesses
could testify to the contrary and expose him. The fact
is, I was alerted to the banning of our newspaper at
Davos 2002 by our outside newspaper distributor and
also subsequently by a senior official of the Waldorf=Astoria,
where the event was held (Please see press release.)
The Earth Times does not need to resort to purveying
falsehoods in order to draw attention to itself.
At any rate, Mr. McLean's own falsehoods are
his problem, and that of the World Economic Forum
whom he represents. What I do not appreciate
is the assault on the integrity of The Earth
Times, which has been in business for a dozen
years. Most of us who run the newspaper and its
magazine have been in journalism a lot longer
than Mr. McLean's been an adult.
My colleagues have already responded to the
specific lies articulated by Mr. McLean. I will
add a few lines of context:
(1) Mr. McLean does not disclose a major conflict-of-interest
on his part. He is on the managing editorial
board of a major rival of The Earth Times newspaper
and Monthly Magazine, Euromoney's Worldlink Magazine.
Worldlink bills itself as the official publication
of the World Economic Forum.
(2) Mr. McLean does not disclose his steady
opposition to the publication of The Earth Times
at WEF events dating back to 2000, when he was
hired by WEF. He does not disclose several episodes
of friction between himself and our paper's editors
and reporters over access to events prior to
Davos 2002.
(3) Mr. McLean does not disclose the circumstances
under which famed columnist Tom Wicker was finally
granted a pass to cover Davos 2002 (after much
pleading on my part). Mr. Wicker was never quoted
along the lines of what Mr. McLean suggests,
and he entirely misunderstood our story. Mr.
Wicket eventually declined to attend because
he was upset that he could not get a room at
the Waldorf=Astoria--rooms that were controlled
entirely by the World Economic Forum.
(4) Mr. McLean does not disclose the nature
of his dealings with a female associate of The
Earth Times to whom he offered a job during Davos
and who declined his overtures.
Is any of this important to the world at large?
My own view is that no one really cares about
what Mr. McLean says and what The Earth Times
says.
What we do care about is our editorial integrity.
We have faithfully and sympathetically covered
the World Economic Forum's meetings for a decade,
and plan on continuing to do so.
But I'm amazed that the Forum would endorse
its spokesman's lies.
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