A clarification of some issues

I write in a perturbed state of mind. To say I am surprised by the words of a member of Bulgaria's diplomatic community would be an understatement.

I received a letter last week from Swedish Ambassador Sten Ask, which raised several issues with an article published in The Echo the previous week about the embassy. The letter was over 800 words.

The Echo has a very open policy when it comes to letters to the editor from both the expatriate and Bulgarian community - as long as they are in good taste and not libelous, we are more than happy to publish them. This is done on page 8 in the comment section, if the letter is directly related to a publication in the newspaper. The sounding board column is for the expatriate community to voice opinions on Bulgaria or recount stories from their time here. This week I feel forced to make an exception.

I agreed to publish the letter from the ambassador, but asked for it to be shortened to 500 words, as we only have a limited amount of space in the newspaper. This request was rejected as I was told the letter could not be cut.

On Thursday, the letter was published elsewhere, which is why I now feel compelled to respond.

The original article in question was 393 words. Offering 500 words to respond to it, I think, was more than fair; insisting on over double the space of the article is unreasonable. I would not give extra space to anyone else, and do not make exceptions based on diplomatic or corporate status.

You'll find that this article is 500 words.

The ambassador's letter is published next to this column, as I believe it would be unfair to respond without also giving readers the benefit of seeing it. This page has been rearranged and we have had to omit one of the regular features of the newspaper as a result, and, for that, I apologize to our readers.

Mr. Ask, your letter has now been published, but I must respond. You told our reporter that your embassy had been accused by the Bulgarian media. We reported that and we fully detailed the embassy's point of view, including comments from yourself. To suggest we levelled accusations at the embassy is incorrect.

The article reported the facts of the incident. We have not, do not, and will not invent sensational stories for any purpose.

I read every word that is printed in The Echo before it gets published and if I do not stand behind something, it does not go to print. The journalists who work for this newspaper are some of the best in the country and their ethics are second to none. The journalist, in the case of this article, did not stray from good principles of journalism, the article was fair, and reported on significant news that had arisen involving the Swedish Embassy.

This kind of journalism does not "forfeit" but rather validates the trust our readers have placed in us.