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14 Friday International Friday, September 25, 2020 Sir Harold Evans, trailblazing newspaper editor, dies at 92 A journalist of tenacity, Evans put a unique stamp on investigative journalism NEW YORK/LONDON: Sir Harold Evans, a media mogul purchased the with global newsmakers in business and poli- British-American editor whose 70-year career paper in 1981. Evans left a year later in a dispute tics who included Tony Blair, Mark Cuban, Al as a hard-driving investigative journalist, mag- with Murdoch over editorial independence. Gore, John Kerry, Henry Kissinger, Jim Mattis azine founder, book publisher and author made A few years later, Evans moved to the and Satya Nadella. him one of the most influential media figures of United States with Brown, the journalist and “Harry Evans was an inspiration, not only as his generation, died on Wednesday at the age editor to whom he was married for nearly 40 a great journalist but as a great man. He had an of 92. Evans died of congestive heart failure in years. He continued his career as an author, insatiable intellect, extraordinary tenacity, high New York, according to his wife . publisher and university lecturer. He penned principle, and a generous heart,” Stephen J. A former editor of Britain’s Sunday Times several books, including “The American Cen- Adler, editor-in-chief, said. and, at his death, Reuters editor-at-large, tury” (1998) and its sequel “They Made Amer- Evans also had a sense of humor. “Editor- Evans put a unique stamp on investigative ica” (2004), as well as an ode to good writing at-large means you’re free to create as much journalism. Championing causes either over- called “Do I Make Myself Clear?” (2017). He havoc as they will tolerate,” Evans was quoted looked or denied, he and his team uncovered became the subject of books and documen- as saying by the Financial Times. “He was the human rights abuses and political scandals, and taries, including “Attacking The Devil: Harold inventor of team journalism. In the editorial advocated for clean air policies. Evans and the Last Nazi War Crime” (2014), chair, he was a human dynamo and set in mo- One of his most famous investigations ex- about the thalidomide campaign. In this file photo taken on November 16, 2016 British tion such a stream of powerful stories and posed the plight of hundreds of British thalido- Evans founded Conde Nast Traveler maga- journalist Sir Harold Evans (left) and photographer campaigns that his rivals (I was one) could mide children who had never received any zine and served as president and publisher of Jeff Widener attend TIME’s 100 Most Influential Pho- only struggle to keep up,” Donald Trelford, the compensation for their birth defects. Evans or- from 1990 to 1997. tos Of All Time Event in . — AFP former editor of the Observer, wrote in a re- ganized a campaign to take on the drug com- Under his leadership, Random House scored view of Evans’ memoir published in 2009 panies responsible for manufacturing the drug, various publishing successes, including the called, “My Paper Chase: True Stories of Van- an effort that eventually won compensation for best-selling “Primary Colors,” a satire about of the highest honors of the British monarchy ished Times.” the families after more than a decade. Bill Clinton by Anonymous, later revealed to be when he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in Harold Matthew Evans was born in Greater “All I tried to do - all I hoped to do - was to journalist Joe Klein, and Colin Powell’s “My 2004 for his services to British journalism. Two Manchester, England, on June 28, 1928, the son shed a little light,” Evans said in an interview American Journey.” years earlier, a poll by Britain’s Press Gazette of a train driver. with in 2014. “And if that light and the British Journalism Review named him He entered journalism in what was then the grew weeds, we’d have to try and pull them up.” ‘Respectable working class’ the greatest newspaper editor of all time. traditional way, taking his first reporting job at After 14 years at , Evans be- Born to a family from what he called “the re- Evans joined Reuters in 2011. In his role as ed- a weekly newspaper at age 16. He went on to came editor of of London shortly after spectable working class,” Evans received one itor-at-large, Evans moderated conversations study at . — Reuters

power were “irrational.” His campaign said it Trump hedges was prepared for any “shenanigans” from Trump, and reiterated comments from July that “the United States government is per- on transferring fectly capable of escorting trespassers out of the White House.” power Mitt Romney, a rare Trump critic among Republican senators, said on Twitter: “Funda- mental to democracy is the peaceful transi- WASHINGTON: US President Donald tion of power; without that, there is Belarus. Trump declined on Wednesday to commit to Any suggestion that a president might not re- a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the spect this Constitutional guarantee is both Nov 3 election to Democratic rival Joe Biden unthinkable and unacceptable.” and said he expected the election battle to end up before the Supreme Court. ‘Will be before supreme court’ “We’re going to have to see what hap- Trump, who is moving quickly to nominate pens,” Trump, a Republican, told reporters at a successor to liberal Justice Ruth Bader Gins- the White House when asked whether he burg, who died on Friday, said earlier on would commit to transferring power. The Wednesday he thinks the election “will end up president, who trails Biden in national opinion in the Supreme Court and I think it’s very im- polls, has repeatedly cast doubt on the legit- portant that we have nine justices.” Trump WASHINGTON, DC: US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the briefing imacy of the election, asserting without evi- plans to announce his nominee on Saturday. A room of the White House on Wednesday in Washington, DC. — AFP dence that mail-in voting would lead to fraud Senate confirmation vote before the election and a “rigged” outcome. would seal a 6-3 conservative majority on the lier, in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he on the court, Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett “The ballots are a disaster,” Trump said. De- court, potentially spelling trouble for Democ- was campaigning, Biden said Republicans Kavanaugh in 2018. Supreme Court appoint- mocrats have encouraged voting by mail as a rats should it be called on to decide any legal were “violating the essence” of what the ments require Senate confirmation, and Re- way to cast ballots safely during the coron- dispute over the results of the election. country’s founders had intended in quickly publicans hold 53 of the chamber’s 100 seats. avirus pandemic. Millions of Americans, includ- “This scam that the Democrats are pulling, seeking to fill the Supreme Court seat. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ing much of the military, have cast absentee it’s a scam, the scam will be before the United “This is an abuse of power of what they’re has said he intends to act on any nomination ballots by mail for years without problems. States Supreme Court, and I think having a 4- doing, and I think we should focus on what Trump makes. Democrats accuse McConnell In 2016, Trump also raised questions about 4 situation is not a good situation,” Trump said. this is going to mean for healthcare,” Biden of hypocrisy, pointing out he refused to have whether he would accept the results of the Only one US presidential election, the said, suggesting such a conservative majority the Senate even consider Democratic Presi- election. He went on to win the presidency. 2000 contest between Republican George W could roll back abortion rights and the Oba- dent ’s nominee to fill a vacant Biden, speaking to reporters in Delaware, Bush and Democrat Al Gore, has had its out- macare healthcare law. Trump has already ap- Supreme Court seat in 2016 because it was said Trump’s comments on the transition of come determined by the Supreme Court. Ear- pointed two conservatives to lifetime posts an election year. — Reuters