April 1, 2002

Ms. Laura M. Luehrmann,

Asst. Professor, Department of Political Science,

Wright State University,

Dayton, Oh 45435

Dear ms. Luehrmann:

Re: Your article that appeared in the

Dayton Daily News on March 27, 2002

I am forwarding a copy of my letter addressed to Mr. Jeff Bruce, Editor, Dayton Daily News for your information.

Early this year, in a period of ten days there were two articles and an editorial in the Dayton Daily News that either misstated the facts or provided ‘opinion’ based on erroneous assumptions. Mr Seymour Hersh in his article that appeared in the New Yorker also had misrepresented India’s position about the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In such instances the readers believe what they read in reputed newspapers, news magazines and see commented upon by professional pundits on electronic media and repeat or perpetuate the untruths.

One editor even suggested that I should encourage the Asian Indian readers to write letters to the editors if they feel offended by such articles. Now the same editor would think twice if he wanted to provide similar advise to a reader who followed a Jewish faith or if an African American had pointed out an erroneous statement about an issue of concern to African American person. The newspaper is published for all the readers, irrespective of their ethnic or religious back ground. But that is something that the media has to address. I thought that you should know about the misconception created by equating India and Pakistan as a Hindu and Muslim nations.

Harish Trivedi,

Chairman, the India Foundation, Dayton, Oh

937-433-4879, Fax:937-433-5748, e-mail: indiafound@earthlink.net