In the end, it was an easy decision. The moment the name was proposed, everyone simply nodded. We knew immediately that we had it right.
The Times Person of the Year is chosen by the Editor after discussions in his daily meeting with the newspaper’s leader writers. And, generally speaking, there is no topic or opinion that fails to spark an argument among this extraordinarily opinionated group. The selection of Neda Soltan was an exception.
We had set ourselves the task of finding someone whose actions had changed the world. They would be selected alongside a Briton of the Year and a Team of the Year, so we wanted an individual of genuine international importance. We were willing to choose a person who had made the world worse, but was undeniably significant (a good example being President Ahmadinejad of Iran). But we had a preference for a figure of whom we approved.
Our starting point was to consider those involved with fending off global recession — Ben Bernanke, the Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, was a candidate, as was Tim Geithner, the Treasury Secretary — but we felt ultimately that this might be too late (we should have chosen them last year) or too early (we need a little longer to see how their actions turn out).
The continued rise, coupled with the election win, of Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, caught the eye, but we decided that this had not really changed world affairs. We felt the same when considering the merits of other Western European candidates. And while we disagreed with the most negative assessments of President Obama’s year, we didn’t judge him a plausible winner.
A left-field, but definitely serious, alternative was Usain Bolt. He has changed what we thought it possible for Man to achieve. He might even have been selected. But then Ms Soltan was proposed. And we knew we had found the Person of the Year. In a single, tragic, terrible moment, Neda Soltan changed the world.
She is a powerful symbol of one of the great events for which 2009 will be remembered.
Source: TimesOnline
beautiful
i am so grateful for this choice you are making. i am truly just grateful. sadly, and far far away here on the left coast of too many states of america, i witnessed recordings of her murder the minute they were uploaded. it was one of the most devastating moments of my life, to learn of this just as it occurred. she unwittingly, without ego or personal benefit, gave herself by stepping innocently into the fray. this gives honor to her, her family, and the millions of people in iran and around the world who support the freedom of the people of iran.
peace