Josh Gajer at Columbia, a former ’06 and mashgiach (religious supervisor) at the Pavilion, pointed out that “in the world of kosher supervision, this guy doesn’t have exactly a sterling reputation for high standards.” Numerous weblogs and local Orthodox practitioners concurred. One blog called Apikorsus, which is concerned with the intimacies of kashrut, stated that “there are probably legitimate reasons not to trust Tablet-K. Rabbi Saffra, who runs the organization, has a habit of jumping to certify products that others won't.” A significant number of others doubt the rigor of his work with Cabot.
First of all, some context: the quoted post (which you can read here) is actually about why I do eat Tablet-K cheeses. More importantly, as those of you who read this blog regularly know, I do not deal extensively with the "intimacies [intricacies?] of kashrut," nor do I represent myself as an authority on such matters.
There are legitimate and illegitimate ways for a journalist to make use of weblogs. Non-anonymous blogs by professional journalists, academics, etc. can be quoted as expert commentary on various subjects, although it is always preferable to contact the blogger and give him or her a chance to put the quotation into context. Non-anonymous blogs have about the status of "man-on-the street" interviews. In the context of this article, it might have made sense to quote Orthodox Dartmouth students, but a quotation from an anonymous nobody from God-knows where (e.g. Yours Truly) is of little value. It is particularly irresponsible to rely on such a source when a person's reputation is at stake.
Of course, I also bear some responsiblity for putting unsubstantiated, potentially harmful information in the public domain. The original version of the above quote included a specific allegation against Rabbi Saffra, which I removed because it was an unsupported rumor, clearly lashon hara (gossip) and possibly motsi shem ra (slander). I now realize that what I did write is almost as bad. I ought to have written, "there may be legitimate reasons not to trust Tabet-K," period.
One of the purposes of a university newspaper is for students to learn responsible journalistic practices, which they often do by making mistakes. I am clearly still learning responsible blogging practices, so I am sympathetic. At some point, however, we all have to take responsiblity for our actions.
I am e-mailing Jared Westheim with a link to this post, to give him a chance to respond if he sees fit to do so.
3 comments:
Thank you for responding.
Dear Sir,
I hope that you mean that in a gender-neutral way :)
appreciate your concern about the "Economics of Observence" article and recognize that you feel a serious violation of journalistic ethics has occurred by the publication of it.
I would not go so far as to say that there was any "serious" violation of journalistic ethics here. I consider this a relatively minor ethical violation, but since it involved my blog, I felt the need to call attention to it.
During my research for the article, I came across more than a few 'experts' that confirmed your statement. They, however, gave me no quotable material and wished to remain anonymous due to possible campus political repercussions because of this issue.
I suspected that something of that nature might have occurred, and I am sympathetic. However, I don't think that quoting an anonymous blog is a good way to compensate for a dearth of quotes from the people who really matter. You might simply have stated that there seems to be a general mistrust of Saffra in the Orthodox community, but that few were willing to be quoted on the subject.
I believe the real problem is that you misread, and I miswrote, something extremely sensitive.... I only stated that you were "concerned with the intimacies [i can't believe that slipped through]of Kashrut" to indicate that you were someone "concerned" with these matters. Not an expert, but a member of a group "concerned" with Kashrut in a way which I, and other members of the general community, are not.
I think that the statement is misleading, as it suggests that my blog is concerned with the details of kashrut, which it is not. In fact, the evidence for my own concern with kashrut is almost entirely contained within the quote itself. However, I understand that your intention was not to be misleading, and your explanation makes sense.
Finally, we at the Independent are not in any way, shape or form, a campus newspaper.
I should have read up on the Indepenent before publishing. Another lesson learned.
Nor do I believe that I printed a biased article, or in any way attempted to slander Saffra.
I never thought that you did. I just think it's wise to take a cautious stance when dealing with a person's reputation. In that regard, however, I am just as responsible as you are.
I request permission to print this blog entry in the Dartmouth Independent under the letters to the editor section.
You are welcome to do so. Thank you for asking.
Keep 'em coming... you all do such a great job at such Concepts... can't tell you how much I, for one appreciate all you do!
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