These statements seem at least generally consistent with the complaint at first glance. Could someone point out where they are not?
Sure, they hedged in some places. But the literal title just states it outright:
Sam Bankman-Fried funded a group with racist ties.
Now I know people often say that writers do not choose their titles. But the Guardian as a newspaper did, so I think they can fairly be criticized for it, and somehow I doubt the author registered any objection to the title.
Nor did the article in any way alert the reader, likely less knowledgeable about bankruptcy procedures than you, about the potential fallibility of bankruptcy complaints, or the strategic issues involved. Even after the corrections made to the article, they wait until the 10th paragraph to mention the fact Habryka denies it, and not until the 50th paragraph do we learn that he presented evidence the allegations are false.
Agreed that there are significant problems with the article as a whole. My reaction was specific to the statements about the finances of the RG Inn purchase and renovation.
One major crux for me is whether the Guardian actually sent a request for comment to Habryka. If they didn’t, that would update my view of the fairness of the representations downward significantly. If they did—and the internet ate the e-mail somehow—then the allegations in the complaint were uncontested on the evidence before them despite having given Lightcone an opportunity to respond. Not commenting is the ordinary response where litigation is pending, so there would have been nothing to clue the Guardian in that the lack of response was due to technological failure.
Although the ordinary reader doesn’t have an attorney’s skeptical eye in reading complaints, it is clear enough that the complaint was written in an attempt to get a court to command Lightcone et al. to fork over ~$5MM to the plaintiffs. To me, that does put the reader on notice that the complaint may take a one-sided perspective and include copious amounts of spin. Does anyone expect that they will see truth-seeking behavior out of (at least!) ordinary private litigants?
Sure, they hedged in some places. But the literal title just states it outright:
Now I know people often say that writers do not choose their titles. But the Guardian as a newspaper did, so I think they can fairly be criticized for it, and somehow I doubt the author registered any objection to the title.
Nor did the article in any way alert the reader, likely less knowledgeable about bankruptcy procedures than you, about the potential fallibility of bankruptcy complaints, or the strategic issues involved. Even after the corrections made to the article, they wait until the 10th paragraph to mention the fact Habryka denies it, and not until the 50th paragraph do we learn that he presented evidence the allegations are false.
Agreed that there are significant problems with the article as a whole. My reaction was specific to the statements about the finances of the RG Inn purchase and renovation.
One major crux for me is whether the Guardian actually sent a request for comment to Habryka. If they didn’t, that would update my view of the fairness of the representations downward significantly. If they did—and the internet ate the e-mail somehow—then the allegations in the complaint were uncontested on the evidence before them despite having given Lightcone an opportunity to respond. Not commenting is the ordinary response where litigation is pending, so there would have been nothing to clue the Guardian in that the lack of response was due to technological failure.
Although the ordinary reader doesn’t have an attorney’s skeptical eye in reading complaints, it is clear enough that the complaint was written in an attempt to get a court to command Lightcone et al. to fork over ~$5MM to the plaintiffs. To me, that does put the reader on notice that the complaint may take a one-sided perspective and include copious amounts of spin. Does anyone expect that they will see truth-seeking behavior out of (at least!) ordinary private litigants?