To the Editor: While I was thrilled that The Phillipian’s front page featured an article on Wednesday’s visit by the Pakistani Ambassador to the United States, Mr. Husain Haqqani, I quickly realized with chagrin that the newspaper’s coverage was significantly lacking in journalistic standards. First, and most importantly, the Ambassador’s name (Haqqani) was consistently misspelled as “Haqqami,” both in the article on the event and in the Commentary piece, “The Ties That Bind.” The Ambassador’s visit to campus was, given his tight schedule and stormy forecast that evening, a great gesture to the Phillips Academy community. This egregious mistake suggests a certain carelessness and lack of appreciation for the Ambassador, especially when one considers how avoidable it was: a simple glance at a poster or click on the PAnet announcement would show the correct spelling. Also irksome was the headline above the second part of the article that announced, “Haqqami (sic) Accepts All Invitations From Students and Schools.” While it is certainly true that the Ambassador enjoys speaking with a younger audience, I was disappointed by a failure to acknowledge those who were involved in the difficult process of organizing the event. To begin with, I want to clarify that this is the first time he has spoken at a high school. The Abbot Academy association generously gave me the opportunity to bring the Ambassador to campus, and Ms. Torabi and I spent over six months working on the logistics for Wednesday’s presentation and student-faculty dinner. Both Ms. Torabi and I were interviewed, but no credit was given to the Abbot Grant or the CAMD office that made this event possible. Sincerely, Aazim Jafarey ’11 Editors Note: We apologize for the inaccuracies, and meant no disrespect to Ambassador Haqqani or those who worked to facilitate his visit.
