The Whistleblower

My friend Karen White just sent me a link to a wonderful New York Times article: “The Whistleblower Knows How to Write.” It’s a good refresher on some important points about writing.

The author, Jane Rosenzweig, directs the Harvard Writing Center. She analyzed the “whistleblower complaint” – a letter from a CIA officer claiming that President Trump put pressure on the Ukrainian government to interfere in next year’s Presidential election.

Somewhere there’s an English teacher who should be feeling very proud! Too bad that unsung person will never know that all those late-night grading sessions really paid off.

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3 thoughts on “The Whistleblower

  1. ballroomdancer Post author

    It sounds like you’re a fan of President Trump who’s trying to argue that the events the whistleblower is describing never happened. Am I correct?
    “Creative writing” refers to something openly made up. The whistleblower is claiming that the events are true. I think you’re trying to say that the whistleblower was dishonest or untruthful, or lying.
    There’s one fact that I think you’re overlooking. President Trump released his own version of the phone call to the Ukraine that supports the whistleblower’s claims. Chief of Staff Mulvaney also confirmed the facts in the whistleblower’s letter.
    But – back to my original point. If you think someone is lying, say so. Stand up for what you think. Don’t weaken your point by calling it “creative writing.”

  2. james newman

    No, you are not correct. I am, and all my adult life have been, an Independent and a Libertarian. Mr. Trump was at least 16 places down on my list of preferred candidates. But I do believe in standing up for the truth. If you pay attention, you’d know the “whistleblower” had no access to the phone call. Everything he/she knew about it was from others (whose access is unknown to us). That is called “hearsay.” And that makes your “whistleblower” a gossip monger. Furthermore, the release of the transcript showed the allegations of your “whistleblower” are untrue. BTW, the release was not 45’s “own version” of the call. It is the official version compiled by professionals who transcribed the call. Finally, a whistleblower is supposed to take his/her issue through prescribed channels. This gossip monger skipped the proper channels and went directly to Adam Shiff’s offfice, making it political. As for my comment about “creative writing,” not only is it accurate, but it was my attempt to throw a bit of humor into your column (which seemed likely to alienate a large number of your audience). If you fail to see that, you must be a barrel of laughs at social gatherings. You won’t need to worry about my future comments. I am unsubscribiing from your condescending column.

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