Monday, September 19, 2022
How New York Times-style advocacy journalism can fuel anti-Semitism
On September 12, 2022, the Twitter account of the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) accused religious Jews of diverting resources from New York public schools to lavishly fund Hasidic yeshivas. The accusation, which is evocative of familiar anti-Semitic tropes, referred to an article by The New York Times that campaigned against Hasidic schools in New York State.
The NYCLU took the article's accusations and turned them into a race-based attack on whites (in this case, meaning Jews) who allegedly benefit from the exploitation of students of color, saying, "For years, district leaders in East Ramapo have extracted resources from public schools, which are almost entirely attended by students of color, in order to lavishly fund yeshivas attended by white students."
The Times article that provided the fodder for the anti-Semitic tweet was published in anticipation of a scheduled vote by the New York Board of Regents on enforcement of stricter regulations and greater oversight over education provided by private and parochial schools.
Authored by Eliza Shapiro, Brian Rosenthal and Jonah Markowitz, the headline was "In Hasidic Enclaves, Failing Private Schools Flush With Public Money" (online) and "Failing Schools, Public Funds" (print). It consisted of a 6,000-word description of the authors' investigation into Hasidic schools. The article appeared as the front page, above-the-fold feature of the Sept. 11 print edition of the newspaper and was the centerpiece of what appeared to be a preplanned campaign of similar allegations. In addition, an online appeal, complete with a form to submit, invited readers to share "stories" about their experiences in Hasidic schools.
In a subsequent article, "N.Y. State Vote Could Raise Pressure on Officials Over Hasidic Schools" (online Sept. 11, print Sept. 12) the authors reiterated their charges, tying their report to the pressure being put on public officials to exercise greater oversight of such schools. A third article published by the authors, "New York Lawmakers Call for More Oversight of Hasidic Schools" (online Sept. 12, print Sept. 13), again repeated the charges, implying their investigation had prompted the critical views being voiced by some state officials.
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