Jane Eisner, editor of the Forward, writes:
Thhe attack on journalists, and journalism, that we are witnessing today is of a more significant and far more dangerous order of magnitude than anything I’ve seen over decades in this business. And whereas usually it’s best for a journalist to just grow a thick skin, a supple spine and the ability to ignore the crazies, what we’re witnessing in the age of Donald Trump calls for a bolder response.
Online bullying is a non-partisan activity — both the far left and the far right are quite good at it — but the virulent anti-Semitism many journalists experience today comes from what is known as the “alt-right,” shadowy white supremacists who mainly hide behind the anonymity of Twitter to traffic in horrible Holocaust imagery and directly threaten Jews.
Many of these threats draw on connections with Trump’s presidential campaign, using Trump’s image and targeting his critics, including several of our regular writers. Even if you don’t believe that the presumed Republican standard bearer has stoked this cyber-hate (which is a generous assumption), you have to admit that he appears to have done nothing to minimize or condemn it.
How can the Forward, a relatively small news organization with a passionate national following and a journalistic pedigree more than a century old, respond? We haven’t been banned from covering Trump, as The Washington Post and other outlets have, but nor have we been offered much access. When given the opportunity, we ask the candidate tough questions , as we do any candidate, but that opportunity has been given only once so far.
So we have decided to declare a moratorium on Trump coverage for a day. A Trumpatorium, if you will.
For 24 hours beginning 5 am Tuesday, June 21, and ending 5 am Wednesday, June 22, we will refrain from publishing anything that mentions Trump’s name or his campaign.
Why take such a symbolic step? (And yes, we are conscious that this is symbolic.) My immediate concern is to address the rising threat level against journalists who are Jewish or who are perceived to be — the haters sometimes don’t bother to distinguish — and who are being bullied, harassed and endangered by the surge of anti-Semitism on social media, predominantly on Twitter. The situation is so dire that the Anti-Defamation League has created, for the first time, a task force to evaluate the problem, develop recommendations and spark public conversation about this dismaying trend.
Two members of the task force, Bethany Mandel and Jay Michaelson, are regular Forward columnists, and have been the subjects of terrible personal attacks for their totally legitimate criticisms of Trump’s policies and pronouncements.
COMMENTS:
* One wonders how his campaign will recover from this…
* Let me state at the outset that I am not a Trump supporter- nor would I ever support Clinton. But for the Forward – led by Jane Eisner – to all of a sudden take a principled stand on anything is nothing short of ludicrous… especially as it pertains to its Donald Trump coverage. I think a better signal of their journalistic principals would to take a 24 hour moratorium of publishing any articles that bash Orhtodox Jews and Judaism (and that can be spearheaded by Jay Michaelson. And trumpeted by Ms. Eisner.)
Or maybe they can take a 24 hour break from publishing articles in support of the BDS movement, a 24 hour respite from mudslinging against the settlers (Naomi Zeviloff) , stop the presses for a whole day of their horrid smear campaign against PM Netanyahu (again, Zeviloff) , take a moratorium on re-printing articles from HaAretz for a day, or maybe even print an article that doesn’t condemn that Kotel praying arrangements (Helen Chernikoff). Maybe those might be better and more useful causes for the Forward to undertake…and if you care about your readership, maybe they would actually benefit from that.
* So, let me get this straight Ms. Eisner. It’s totally OK for your socialist publication to attack with vile hatred anyone you personally oppose (Orthodox Jews, right wingers, tea party, Trump, etc.) via freedom of the press but it’s not OK for them to strike back at you?
Now the shoe is on the other foot. How do you like the fit?
* Wow. I once heard one little girl keep telling the other girl how she wasn’t talking to her. The girl on the receiving end of the repeated announcements of cherum didn’t really seem to care. Because she already wasn’t interested in talking to the boycotter in the first place. Probably just wished the girl would finally make good on her threat and stop freaking talking.
Seriously.
There’s a level of childishness and undeserved self importance at the forward that boggles the mind. Does the Trump campaign or basically anyone outside your little club know you guys exist? Isn’t not paying attention to the forward more like failing to notice the forward?
Is there anyone who actually knows what the forward who can’t figure out what the sycophants there think about every issue?
* The People’s Front of Judea says they don’t support your moratorium!
