Dear Sirs
It was with dismay that I read Peter Wilbey's article 'Publish and be damned' in The Guardian of Monday July 7, in which he describes how The Times has threatened Media Lens with legal and police action after it posted extracts from an email from Bronwen Maddox on its website without permission and urged readers to respond.
For a number of years, Media Lens, a small, modestly-resourced media watchdog, has held the liberal press to account with unflinching honesty, compassion and integrity, recently winning an award from the Gandhi Foundation. Indeed, in its latest 'media alert', Media Lens was moved to make a strong case for more rigorous and accurate media reporting on Iran precisely because that country is now at risk of potentially catastrophic attack by Western military forces.
Media Lens has always urged its readers to adopt a polite and constructive tone in correspondence with journalists. It is certainly unfortunate that a small number of individuals appear to have ignored that advice on this occasion but surely the newspaper's response is entirely disproportionate: in no way can a few unpleasant emails be balanced against the fate of an entire nation.
I strongly urge The Times to retract its threats towards Media Lens and to concentrate on the serious business of accurate and impartial news coverage. Media Lens has clearly demonstrated that on this occasion The Times has been found wanting.
Yours faithfully
Mr F Seed
Selly Oak
Birmingham
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