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AP touts anti-Stratfordian actors

Here is my note to Jos. Harker, Response Editor of The Guardian, after The Associated Press scooped The Guardian on the anti-Stratfordian actor issue raised in my letter to the editor -- see text in Sept. 7 blog below. Note: The coalition referred to in the AP story is the Shakespeare Authorship Coalition. Tom

To Joseph Harker, Response Editor, The Guardian

Dear Joseph,

I followed your suggestion of Wednesday, Sept 5 and sent the letter below to letters@guardian.co.uk correcting Prof. Bate's misinformation passed along by your reporter. Apparently nothing was done about correcting the error.

Apparently my letter was not printed.

Apparently The Guardian has not bothered to look into the error.

Now Yahoo has run a story by Associated Press writer D'Arcy Doran providing accurate information about famous actors who have doubted the traditional attribution of Shakespeare authorship which you can link to here:

"Coalition Aims to Expose Shakespeare" by D'Arcy Doran, Associated Press Writer

I don't understand why the press, which is supposed to be seeking out the truth, allows so called authorities like Bate to go on with their errors and not even bother to correct them--or at least look into them--when they are pointed out.

What is The Guardian guarding? Is it tradition and the status quo which have misled us all these years, or is it the truth? I would think that your newspaper would at least be interested in looking for the truth. You can see that if this keeps up, the unsatisfied will be looking for their news from the Yahoos of the world and will bypass The Guardian because it doesn't seem to care about the first commandment of journalism: accuracy.

If I am wrong and you indeed have confirmed and corrected Prof. Bate's misstatement and your publication of it, I would be most gratified if you would write back and show me the error of my ways and that your publication is indeed interested in the truth after all.

By the way, my list of famous actors challenging Shakspere authorship omitted Charles Chaplin. Yahoo got that right, too. Thank you again for your response of Sept. 5.

R. Thomas Hunter
Independent Shakespeare Scholar

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