Statement from James Edward Sved
I am an American heritage architect, architectural historian, and regulatory project manager. My work has focused on historic preservation, environmental and cultural resource management, and highly regulated federal programs.
I served as the project manager and director of the restoration of Richmond’s Main Street Station, a project that received the Restoration Project of the Year Award. I hold a Master of Architectural History from the University of Virginia and previously led the architectural history and historic preservation practices at several large organizations. I later worked as a Regulatory Subject Matter Expert and Principal Project Manager supporting sensitive naval nuclear programs. My professional background has been featured in educational media, including PBS programming. I also founded and published the Herald de Paris newspaper, and have written on design and architecture for the San Francisco Chronicle, Building Design & Construction Magazine, and others.
For an extended period, a person whom I do not know, David Farrier, has published repeated false and damaging claims targeting me and my family. These claims are not journalism. A personal newsletter that creates false narratives to create fake controversy is not a news organization, and the act of publishing the fake news it creates does not transform them into reporting.
In response to sustained online conduct I regarded as harassment, I sought a civil restraining order against this individual. The court did not grant the order. The Courts stated it did not want to rule on a matter touching on free speech. A refusal to issue an order is not the same thing as a judicial endorsement of the underlying claims or of the person making them.
I will not engage in an ongoing public exchange with someone who repeatedly publishes false statements for an audience. My professional record stands on its own. Readers should judge sources by their actual standards and incentives, not by the volume of allegations they produce.
Thank you.
James Edward Sved