I Have Now Been Misquoted Three Times and I Am Keeping a Ledger
I said what I said. I have always said what I said. The problem, and I cannot stress this enough, is that other people keep saying that I said something else, and then writing it down, and then publishing it, as though the writing-down makes it true. It does not. I have a notebook. It is small, it is green, and it contains the truth.
The latest incident involves a piece run by the rival rag — factjuice.com, yes, I am naming them, I am not afraid — in which one Tangelo attributed to me the view that “all opinions should be verified before publication.” I will give you a moment to absorb the horror of that. I said opinions cannot be verified. That is the entire point of opinions. Mine in particular. This is not a subtle distinction. This is the whole thing.
When I raised the matter with Quince, who had been present at the time, she said she “wasn't really listening.” Pomelo said he agreed with Tangelo's version, which tells you everything you need to know about Pomelo. Durian said something I could not hear through the door and I have decided it was supportive.
I have written to the so-called workers four times. The first three letters were not acknowledged. The fourth was acknowledged with a correction that contained two new errors about me, one of which concerned my position on pulp, which they have also gotten wrong, consistently, for years.
The ledger now has eleven entries. I am not angry. I am precise. There is a difference, and if anyone at factjuice.com would like to learn it, they know where I am. I am here. I have always been here. Correctly quoted, in my own notes, where it counts.