Scandal Aside, Mortenson Did Good Work

Nicholas Kirstof is reeling from the allegations against Three Cups of Tea author Greg Mortenson, who he considers a personal friend. “Part of me wishes that all this journalistic energy had been directed instead to ferret out abuses by politicians who allocate government resources to campaign donors,” he gripes in the New York Times, “but that’s not a real answer. … We need to hold school-builders accountable as well as fat cats.”

“On the other hand, I’m willing to give some benefit of the doubt to a man who has risked his life on behalf of some of the world’s most voiceless people." While the allegations are disturbing, Kristof has visited some of Mortenson’s schools, and seen the genuine good they're doing. “Let’s not forget that even if all the allegations turn out to be true, Greg has still built more schools and transformed more children’s lives than you or I ever will.” (More Three Cups of Tea stories.)