Fred in the news ... :-)

[George Thompson]

Dear  List,

I got a note yesterday from Fred Smith who is still in India.  He
insists in the following note that what he has been quoted as saying
in a number of interviews in Indian papers has not been accurately
reported, and so he has asked me to pass on to you this correction
[Fred does not have good internet access in India now, so he has asked
me to post this note to the list]:

"I was informed that a story on me from the Mirror (a slightly dubious
newspaper in Bangalore) was posted to Indology. I'm not usually on my
own computer in India, for internet at least, and can't look at
Indology right now. Can you please reply to Indology that most of
what's in that story was wholly invented by the Indian press. I didn't
say most of what's reported there, which is why it doesn't sound like
me. They wanted cookie cutter pablum, and put it in my mouth. I
actually tried to feed them hard, but digestible, nuggets, but
apparently they were regurgitated without leaving a trace. I don't
know how many times I've told myself never to talk to any reporter. I
went back on this and what came out were words I would never say. The
fact is that I went to the Mysore demonstrations in support of the
very necessary anti-corruption initiative inspired by Anna Hazare. I
went with some people I know well there, who in fact organized the
Mysore demonstration. The press and TV were there, and seemed to be
interested in the tall videshi. Egged on by my friends there, I gave a
few interviews. I tried, at some length, to tie corruption in with the
catastrophic environmental problems in India, that the same impulse
has led to both of them, but none of that made it into the newspapers.
I guess it was too much for the press to handle, probably more so for
editors than for reporters. Supposedly I was on NDTV and a few other
channels, but never saw any of it. I gave a couple of other press
interviews, including a long and substantive one to the Times of
India, Bangalore edition, but have not followed up on any of it."

So, this is what Fred has to say about the news from Fred in India!

Best wishes,

George


On Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 8:21 AM, Dominik Wujastyk <wujastyk at gmail.com> wrote:
> http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/10/20110817201108170046151189b42573f/Sick-and-tired-of-paying-bribes-American-joins-stir.html
>
>