“Tea with FT” is your External Devil’s Advocate
Sir in “Sounding off” February 13 you speak about the importance for an institution of a “Devil’s Advocate appointed to challenge and probe its assumptions and evidence”. This is exactly the role of a blog like “Tea with FT”.
In your case you have censored and tried to have the whistleblower fired by stopping from publishing his letters, suddenly, most probably because the feathers of some journalistic Prima-Donna were ruffled. The beauty in this case though is that even if the FT establishment wants the Devil’s advocate to disappear, he still hangs in there, on the web.
Does a Devil’s Advocate always have to be right? Absolutely not! That is not his role.
Can a Devil’s Advocate be advocating too often and therefore only be accepted if he limits himself to one letter a month? Of course not! That would be plain silly.
But a Devil’s Advocate can surely not appoint himself? Why not? Do you prefer the management or the Prima-Donnas appointing him?
Cheers
In your case you have censored and tried to have the whistleblower fired by stopping from publishing his letters, suddenly, most probably because the feathers of some journalistic Prima-Donna were ruffled. The beauty in this case though is that even if the FT establishment wants the Devil’s advocate to disappear, he still hangs in there, on the web.
Does a Devil’s Advocate always have to be right? Absolutely not! That is not his role.
Can a Devil’s Advocate be advocating too often and therefore only be accepted if he limits himself to one letter a month? Of course not! That would be plain silly.
But a Devil’s Advocate can surely not appoint himself? Why not? Do you prefer the management or the Prima-Donnas appointing him?
Cheers
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