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At the Harry Potter Trial, the New York Papers Pile On Steven Vander Ark
All three major New York newspapers are out in force covering the Trial of the Century in a downtown courthouse. We’re speaking, of course, of J.K. Rowling’s lawsuit against the prospective publisher of a companion volume to the Harry Potter series. Pity poor Steven Vander Ark, the small-town Harry Potter lexicographer who testified yesterday and was immediately subjected to the harsh glare of the New York media spotlight.
Vander Ark burst into tears when asked about his relationship with the Harry Potter online fan community, which has mostly shunned him since Rowling filed a lawsuit against his publisher last fall. And that’s not the worst — the worst was having his haircut made fun of in the New York Times. Which New York paper was the meanest to Steven Vander Ark?