New York Times withholds rebuttal from US Millionaire in NewsClick controversy
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American millionaire Neville Roy Singham has accused The New York Times of deliberately omitting his responses to an article it published that is linked to the Indian news website NewsClick.
Currently residing in Shanghai, Singham labelled the piece a "misleading and innuendo-laden hit piece" that alleged ties to pro-China propaganda.
The New York Times claimed on August 5 that NewsClick received funds from a network centred around Singham, sparking a controversy that led to a Delhi Police raid on journalists associated with the news website.
Subsequently, the founder of NewsClick, Prabir Purkayastha, and human resources head Amit Chakraborty were arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Singham vehemently denied the allegations, asserting that he does not take orders or funding from the Chinese government or the Communist Party of China, as suggested in the NYT article.
He emphasized that he is not and has never been a member of the Communist Party of China, citing the country's constitution that restricts party membership to Chinese citizens.
The American investor clarified that his sources of funds are limited to personal savings, revenue from the sale of his information technology consultancy company ThoughtWorks, and income from personal investments.
He insisted that, apart from ThoughtWorks, which had government clients from the US, UK, and Australia (excluding China), he has never received funding from any government or political party.
In response to these allegations, Worldwide Media Holdings, an investor in NewsClick, issued a statement on October 6.
American lawyer Jason Pfetcher, representing the company, emphasized that they strictly adhered to Indian law before investing in NewsClick in 2018. Pfetcher also addressed concerns about the People's Support Foundation, stating it was funded by the sale of ThoughtWorks and denying any influence by its directors on NewsClick's journalistic work.
As the controversy unfolds, questions about the integrity of the NYT article and the motivations behind the Delhi Police raid continue to mount, raising broader concerns about press freedom and the impact of such controversies on the global media landscape.