Will HMC accusers stand up? 2

Juxtaposition of facts can mislead ("Row over freedom of speech at Oxford", THES , November 7). You report that I "was not prepared to make" inquiries about the 30 alumni signatories to an open letter calling for an investigation into Harris Manchester College and then say that Hilary Hicklin, who organised the letter, "was able to provide within... minutes" the necessary information. This implies that I chose to ignore it. But I have never heard from or of Hicklin.

Only later does it become clear that the decisive problem was to contact 30 people, amid other occupations and with no secretarial backup. But by that time, the reader has your spin.

I believed you were printing or had printed the open letter and therefore I chose not to do so. Oxford Magazine is open to a letter or article by anyone connected with HMC.

Jim Reed
Editor, Oxford Magazine