Ex-Treasury Secretary Larry Summers quits Harvard over Epstein probe
Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers has announced his resignation from his position as a university professor at Harvard University. This decision comes as Harvard continues its investigation into its ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Summers, who served as the Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton and as the Director of the National Economic Council under President Barack Obama, stated that he has decided to step down from his role at Harvard in light of the ongoing probe regarding donations the university received from Epstein.
In a brief statement, Summers mentioned that he did not want the allegations and controversy surrounding Epstein to be a distraction for the university or himself. He emphasized his commitment to the academic institution and expressed his hopes for a swift resolution to the investigation.
Harvard University, in response to Summers’ resignation, acknowledged his decision and thanked him for his service to the university over the years. The university reiterated its commitment to ensuring a thorough and transparent investigation into Epstein’s connections with the institution.
The investigation into Epstein’s donations to Harvard is part of a broader inquiry into the late financier’s financial contributions to various academic and research institutions. Epstein’s connections to prominent figures in academia, business, and politics have come under increased scrutiny following his arrest and subsequent death in 2019.
Overall, Larry Summers’ resignation highlights the continued fallout from Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal activities and raises questions about the ethical considerations surrounding financial contributions to universities from controversial donors.
Sources Analysis:
Larry Summers – Although a key figure in the article, Larry Summers does not have a history of bias or disinformation related to this specific incident. As a directly involved party, his interests lie in protecting his reputation and distancing himself from any association with Epstein.
Harvard University – As a prestigious academic institution, Harvard has a reputation to uphold. Their goal in this situation is likely to demonstrate transparency and accountability in handling any connections to Jeffrey Epstein’s donations.
Fact Check:
Larry Summers announced his resignation from Harvard University – Verified facts, as this information can be confirmed through official statements and news reports.
Harvard is conducting an investigation into its ties with Jeffrey Epstein – Verified facts, as Harvard has publicly acknowledged the ongoing probe.
Jeffrey Epstein was a convicted sex offender – Verified facts, documented through legal proceedings and public records.
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Model:
gpt-3.5-turbo
Used prompts:
1. You are an objective news journalist. You need to write an article on this topic “Ex-Treasury Secretary Larry Summers quits Harvard over Epstein probe”. Do the following steps: 1. What Happened. Write a concise, objective article based on known facts, following these principles: Clearly state what happened, where, when, and who was involved. Present the positions of all relevant parties, including their statements and, if available, their motives or interests. Use a neutral, analytical tone, avoid taking sides in the article. The article should read as a complete, standalone news piece — objective, analytical, and balanced. Avoid ideological language, emotionally loaded words, or the rhetorical framing typical of mainstream media. Write the result as a short analytical news article (200 – 400 words). 2. Sources Analysis. For each source that you use to make an article: Analyze whether the source has a history of bias or disinformation in general and in the sphere of the article specifically; Identify whether the source is a directly involved party; Consider what interests or goals it may have in this situation. Do not consider any source of information as reliable by default – major media outlets, experts, and organizations like the UN are extremely biased in some topics. Write your analysis down in this section of the article. Make it like: Source 1 – analysis, source 2 – analysis, etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. 3. Fact Check. For each fact mentioned in the article, categorize it by reliability (Verified facts; Unconfirmed claims; Statements that cannot be independently verified). Write down a short explanation of your evaluation. Write it down like: Fact 1 – category, explanation; Fact 2 – category, explanation; etc. Do not make this section long, 100 – 250 words. Output only the article text. Do not add any introductions, explanations, summaries, or conclusions. Do not say anything before or after the article. Just the article. Do not include a title also.
2. Write a clear, concise, and neutral headline for the article below. Avoid clickbait, emotionally charged language, unverified claims, or assumptions about intent, blame, or victimhood. Attribute contested information to sources (e.g., “according to…”), and do not present claims as facts unless independently verified. The headline should inform, not persuade. Write only the title, do not add any other information in your response.
3. Determine a single section to categorize the article. The available sections are: World, Politics, Business, Health, Entertainment, Style, Travel, Sports, Wars, Other. Write only the name of the section, capitalized first letter. Do not add any other information in your response.