Re: Request for Professor Chomsky re: sexual harassment story

Dear Professor Chomsky,

I'm on the science desk at BuzzFeed News, where we have reported on several big investigations about sexual harassment in the sciences.

For the last several months, I, along with two other reporters on my desk, have been investigating at least four accounts of sexual misconduct involving Lawrence Krauss stretching back a decade. Our story is corroborated by emails, university documents, official complaints, testimony from victims and witnesses, and interviews with more than two dozen of Krauss's current and former academic colleagues, students, and peers in the skeptics movement.

We are now nearing our publication date. I am reaching out to you now in the hopes that you may consider commenting on what allegations like this mean for your field, particularly since you have done events with Krauss and occupy a similar place in the public sphere.

Are you interested in chatting?

We're planning to publish our story on Tuesday morning, Eastern US Time. If you'd like to talk, please let us know as soon as possible.

Sincerely,
Ginny Hughes

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Virginia Hughes | Science Editor
BuzzFeed News

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My wife Valeria forwarded your message to me.

In general, when accusations and allegations are made, they should, if credible, be investigated. Those who know nothing about them (my situation in the present case) have nothing to say, and cannot speculate seriously about the consequences of what they do not know.

Independently, Valeria and I have known Lawrence very well for years, and what you describe is not at all consistent with what we know about his life and character.

Noam Chomsky

Thanks Noam. They are really slimeballs.. They dredged up false allegations from the internet and distorted others.. It's very depressing.. I appreciate the note.