Clarification and an apology

[newsletter-admin at sarai.net]

Dear subscribers,

We would like to apologize to all the readers of the newsletter for an
unfortunate editorial indiscretion in the reporting of  the "Film and Urban
Culture Workshop - A Cinema of Anxiety: The Exhilaration of Dread" -
recently held at Sarai.

The correspondent to the newsletter for the workshop has inadvertently used
the words "... Many of the arguments put forward in the paper presentations
were challenged, extended and on occasion, trashed."

There has been strong exception to the expression "trashed" in this report.
And we at Sarai are in complete agreement with the opinion that the usage of
the word "trashed" - which, though it may have been used by the correspondent
to signify a healthy liveliness of debate - was completely inappropriate.

The discussions at the event were in fact marked by opennesss and dialouge
in a lively environment in the best sense of the term.

The correspondent has assured me that he did not mean to single out any
presenters and that his comments were meant to reflect on the discussions of
all the papers. Incorrect formatting which aligns this sentance to the
previous paragraph suggests that the expression, (unfortunate as it is) is
meant to reflect on two specific presentations. We regret the fact that this
impression has occurred, the correspondent assures me that this was not
intended.

However, even if it were meant to be a general, non-specific remark, the
expression remains inapporpriate in itself, and an error in formatting makes
it doubly so - because it seems to suggest that specific presentations were
being targetted for criticism.

We also apologize that due to editorial oversight on my part in compiling the
newsletter, such an expression went through, into the public domain.

Clearly, when we at Sarai make a commitment to put things out into the Public
Domain we are aware that it also carries with it a responsibility to ensure
that the decorum and propreity that is an inalienable part of  civilised
discourse  commensurate to the Public Domain is maintained at all costs. What
has occurred is due to an error and an oversight and we accept the
responsibility for this.

We hope that our sincere apologies are accepted by all, especially by those
who took such trouble to make the presentations at the event.

We assure you all that we will make every effort to ensure that such
slippages and errors do not happen in future.



regards

Saumya Gupta


-- 
Saumya Gupta
Sarai: The New Media Initiative
Centre for the Study of Developing Societies
29, Rajpur Road, Delhi - 110054
Ph: +91-11- 3960040, 3951190
Fax: +91-11- 3928391, 2943450
       www.sarai.net