The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) is distributing misinformation although the facts are in the public domain and its editors have been informed

Re: Attn. Ms Julie Lewis, Required correction to the article by Ms Daniella White
From: Manuel Graeber manuel.graeber@professoriate.org (Professoriate)
To: moniquefarmer@smh.com.au
Date: 30/04/24 16:46


Dear Ms Farmer,

My public interest disclosure is in the public domain:

https://www.manuelbgraeber.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Original-Public-Interest-Disclosure-Prof-Graeber-University-of-Sydney-13-March-2021.pdf

You can see for yourself that I REPORTED an allegation that was NOT mine.

Therefore, the information published is factually incorrect and highly
misleading because I simply did my job.

The public deserves to have the facts not spin. I am therefore asking for a
correction. Alternatively, I am willing to write a short opinion piece about
the matter. How about that?

Kind regards

Manuel

On Tue, 30 Apr 2024 16:11:26 you wrote:

Dear Professor Graeber

I have closely read your email and also Daniella White’s story, and
discussed the concerns with Ms White and her editor. I am confident in the
accuracy of the reporting for these reasons (in italics below). In addition
the story contained a statement by you:

1) Ms White incorrectly claimed that “a senior brain researcher who accused
a
Sydney University academic of attempting to bribe and blackmail another
staff
member” made the allegations. In fact, the claims were about a manager and
not
an academic colleague.

The information was drawn from court documents, namely this line from the filed defence:
(c) with respect to paragraph 12(b), admits that the Applicant alleged that a professor of the Respondent attempted to bribe and blackmail another staff member of the University (the Bribery Allegation); a

2.) As President of the University of Sydney Association of Professors
(USAP) and in accordance with my duties as an employee of the University of
Sydney, I filed a public interest disclosure (PID). This was both the
required and proper action to take. The decision to treat the allegations
as a PID was made by audit.

*Paragraph 5 of the story notes that you said you made a public interest
disclosure. *

• Therefore, Ms White’s introduction statement is not only factually
  incorrect but highly misleading as is the tone of the article. Management’s
  defence iscited as fact when no proof has been provided at this stage of
  the proceedings. I categorically rejected management’s false claims in my
  written response to Ms White.

The story is clear that the claims are accusations and are drawn from court documents. It states what is drawn from the university defence. The story also makes it clear that you reject the university’s claims

Regards

Monique Farmer

Subject: Attn. Ms Julie Lewis, Required correction to the article by Ms
Daniella White

Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2024, 11:30:04

From: Manuel Graeber manuel.graeber@professoriate.org

To: jlewis@smh.com.au

CC: smhopinion@smh.com.au

Dear Ms Lewis,

I would like to request that you publish a correction to the article
written

by Daniella White titled “Whistleblower professor accused of ‘serious

misconduct’ sues Sydney Uni” due to factual errors. The article is being

distributed in Western Australia as well. Alternatively, I am willing to
write

an opinion piece.

Ms White’s article contains several misleading statements resulting from

factual errors that require correction. The most important ones are
summarized

below and must be addressed:

• Ms White incorrectly claimed that “a senior brain researcher who
  accused a

Sydney University academic of attempting to bribe and blackmail another
staff

member” made the allegations. In fact, the claims were about a manager
and not

an academic colleague.

• Furthermore, I would like to clarify that this claim was actually made
  by a

senior academic colleague who approached two other senior professors and
me,

all of whom subsequently testified to audit.

• As President of the University of Sydney Association of Professors
  (USAP)

and in accordance with my duties as an employee of the University of
Sydney, I

filed a public interest disclosure (PID). This was both the required and

proper action to take. The decision to treat the allegations as a PID was
made

by audit.

• Therefore, Ms White’s introduction statement is not only factually
  incorrect

but highly misleading as is the tone of the article. Management’s defence
is

cited as fact when no proof has been provided at this stage of the

proceedings. I categorically rejected management’s false claims in my
written

response to Ms White.

• I am aware that Darren Goodsir, a former editor-in-chief of the Sydney

Morning Herald, currently serves as chief-of-staff at The University of

Sydney. Kate McClymont, a journalist with close ties to your publication,
was

also on the Senate of our university for many years but failed to respond
to

colleagues’ or my concerns regarding gross management misconduct at our

university, such as:

https://www.manuelbgraeber.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Letter-to-USYD_S
enate-15-June-23-no-reply.pdf

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards

Manuel Graeber

Professor Manuel B. Graeber MD PhD FRCPath

President, University of Sydney Association of Professors (USAP)

Vice-President,

Australian Association of University Professors (AAUP)