I am writing to you to give you the opportunity , while ti still exists to correct a wrong . When we first spoke you assured me that vanity fair and the new yorker were the gold standards of magazines.In fact it was that level of journalism to which you were dedicated. When I voiced my concerns that Vicky Ward reputation was that of a tabloid reporter, you assured me that that was no longer the case.. Unfortunately, during the past two months my initial fears have been confoirmed. With her tabloid backround and reputation for sensatializing combined withan almost barren knowledge of finance, I think she was clearly the wrong reporter for a gold standard piece. Acurracy of facts and misleading statements haveunfortunately been the norm. the example would border on the laughable if weren't so potentiallly leagally morally adn ethically damaging the to magazine. For example. she has consistentaly asked me ,during our off the record converstions, given to enable her to check the facts accurately ,if in fact I bought the house of 71 st outright . After three times telling her yes, she said in her tabloidlike styke , of aha,,, but transfer taxes were never paid,,, I again reiterated that they in fact were, but she snidly reepsonded but then how come we can't find them.The fact that transfer taxes are not part of the public record seems no to disuade her goal of making a story. The polite and not necessarliy elveating itself to gold standard would have been to ask me to show her or a represantaive the sale document and check which I would been more than happy to do,, but the true facts it seems to no a good story make......In keeping wiht the tabloid like less, than factual appoach, she then asks me to respond , and mind you in the process of responding dignify the question, of how it is possible that the financial statement of a convicted felon, currently in prison for the majority of the rest of his life, a financialo statement that in fact was one of the reasons he was concvited of creating false financial statements, and lying about his entire business transactions.. I should repond to why a
iI think they are false... In her desire to create controvery she finds it appropriate to continue to ask questions using what she says are third party sources, and relates them as facts.... I n another incident she asked in fact it was true that I had been sued by Mary Jo white the u. s. attorney.... the person in charge of crinal investigations in new york....What vicky is loathe to admit,,, is the fact that a simple landord tenatnt dispute over the right to sublet a properrty in new york, the same type of dispute that is normally handled eveery day in landlord tenat court, was bought by the us. attorney ,,, only and simply becasue in this insatnace my landlord was theu.s. state department. to sesantionlize a landlord tenat dispute into "werem
t you sued by the us attorny... misleads from theimple fact tat the government s interest was oly as a landlord of a townhouse. The tabloid trick of asking people about events over twenty years ago does no help raise the standard of reporting.. Vicky in fact has told people that she has facts from 25 years ago , but ignores the fact that the people she is talking to, are in fact the proncioles in those discussions....One last and disturbing example is the issue I raiseed with you over the Farmer girls issues... I told Vicky I had found other correspondence that she could see if she wanted to get at the truth.... she declined. the factss might not fit her story line.THis is wrong you graydon have an abligation to correct these errors even though you said you as editor have to "give her her head" THe fact that I took the forme r president of the united states on a humanitarion trip to Africa to attempt to deal with the problem of aids I myself setting up a substantial scholarship progrm for africans to enable them to come to the u s for and education. , I know you belive gave you the right to invade my formerly very private yet albeit grand life. we can disagree about that right but I feel it incumbent upon you to live up to your word and kep the standrd that you poressed to admire.... In this regard I would be my prefence that you kill the story entirely as I do not beleinve I have in any wasy risen to the level of a public person or official, but if you decide otherwise at least bring the stanadrd the the gold one you and the publishers desrve....