Loyalty and dignity among the baying horde
Reader comment on: Conrad Black - the Strands of Honor

Submitted by Prodicus, Jul 19, 2007 03:57

I am a lifelong reader of the Spectator and the Telegraph papers here in England and an occasional visitor to your own newspaper on the web. I am moved by your loyal tribute to a friend who has been so betrayed by so many other former friends and colleagues in the very newspapers he helped to make great. Black is not perfect, as none of us is, but he has not deserved the astonishing vilification heaped upon him. On the contrary, having endured all that, he would be entitled to see his former papers balance their anti-Black scandal-mongering with large headlines saying 'Black found not guilty...' of the major charges which gave them such good copy and helped their circulation figures throughout his trial.

Most English newspapers have done themselves little credit in covering this matter. It is good to see that more of America's newspaper men and women, not least yourselves, have maintained a higher standard.

And here's hoping Conrad Black is exonerated of the remaining charges on appeal, which I agree is unlikely - or at least receives a nominal custodial sentence and emerges from the whole experience as robust a newspaperman as before.

Greetings to you all.

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
Every man deserves a defender, and Conrad Black has his. I thought your defense was a tribute to the bwetter... [MORE]	Joe Shea	Aug 9, 2007 01:32
	BJC	Aug 2, 2007 19:10
	Allan Reichbart	Jul 31, 2007 15:03
	K.D. Williamson	Jul 31, 2007 14:50
A beautifully crafted defense for Mr. Black. Nevertheless, I suspect the editorial board is too close to Mr. Black and... [MORE]	Bob Richardson	Jul 30, 2007 16:45
	Patrick MacKinnon	Jul 29, 2007 21:31
What an amazingly moving piece! In this rapidly dumbing down global society, it is rare to have people of distinction... [MORE]	Sushobhan Mukherjee	Jul 26, 2007 03:26
I was happy to see this piece because loyality is rare, gifts (in this case, the Sun itself) so often... [MORE]	wight martindale	Jul 25, 2007 21:56
Sir, Your splendid tribute to your friend Lord Black was touching and deeply appreciated. We in Canada have been providentially... [MORE]	Paul J Johnson	Jul 24, 2007 23:52
I don't know the details of Mr. Black's case, but I do know that not all crimes are prosecuted and... [MORE]	Rick Geiger	Jul 24, 2007 16:31
The unjust prosecution of Mr. Back and Mr. Lipsky's appreciative comments about him should serve to remind us of the... [MORE]	Don Carlson	Jul 24, 2007 11:34
Our system of justice has many many failures - even in death sentences. Patrick Fitzgerald is also known for unfortunately... [MORE]	Victor Galindo	Jul 22, 2007 14:46
↔ It is difficult not to be both disappointed and delighted by the jury's decision. Delighted because he was acquitted of... [MORE]	David Flint	Jul 24, 2007 04:54
↔	Con George-Kotzabasis	Jul 21, 2007 23:17
↔ Hubristic, filled with confidence but of the throw-away kind, or merely completely insensitive and morally uncouth, thus only half a... [MORE]	Anthony Steyning	Jul 21, 2007 10:38
↔ Thank you for your moving commentary about Conrad Black, and particularly the role he played in helping to establish New... [MORE]	Erik Axelson	Jul 19, 2007 18:33
↔ As someone who personally witnessed the devastation of a profitable, family-owned daily newspaper – along with the careers of more... [MORE]	Jeannie A.	Jul 19, 2007 13:47
↔ I am a lifelong reader of the Spectator and the Telegraph papers here in England and an occasional visitor to...	Prodicus	Jul 19, 2007 03:57
↔ 'elegant' is the word that comes to mind after reading this article. Clearly you are a good friend of Mr.... [MORE]	Bruce P.	Jul 18, 2007 16:55
↔	Richard Z. Chesnoff	Jul 18, 2007 12:13
↔ Mr. Fitzgerald's distaste for the practice of furthering one's own career through the expenditure of Other People's Money is, perhaps,... [MORE]	Claude Bogardus	Jul 17, 2007 12:49
↔ ↔ It takes a great deal of intestinal fortitude not to howl with the wolves and to defend a man's good... [MORE]	Albert Feldmann	Jul 18, 2007 17:16
↔ ↔ I think this is the loveliest piece Seth Lipsky has ever written. Its cadences, its depth of feeling, the elegance... [MORE]	Pranay Gupte	Jul 17, 2007 11:02