What ADL revolt?

Published Aug 29 2007, 06:57 PM by Adam Reilly

Asks a Media Log reader:

Don't you think it's odd (and noteworthy) that the NY Times has not written one word on the Abe Foxman mess over the Armenian slaughter? It's about 10 days old and the Times has not seen fit to cover a story that's involved the govt [sic] of Turkey and one of the most prominent Jewish leaders in the US.

That does seem strange--and it's not just the Times: the Washington Post seems to have ignored the story as well.

Having said that, I'd add that the Globe's coverage of the issue was excellent, and that the Globe is part of the New York Times Company. (By "issue," I mean 1. Watertown's exit from the ADL-sponsored "No Place for Hate" program over the ADL's refusal to label Turkey's early-20th c. slaughter of Armenians "genocide"; 2. the firing of New England ADL head Andrew Tarsy, who criticized the ADL's position, and subsequent pushback by Boston-area Jewish leaders; and 3. subsequent reversal [or almost-reversal] by national ADL director Abraham Foxman.) But the Globe isn't America's paper of record. The Times is.

It's possible that the Times (and the Post) are leery of playing up a development which, as the Jewish Press reported today, has already strained Israel's strategically vital relationship with Turkey. But concern for Israel's well-being needn't preclude critical reporting on the Armenian-genocide debate, as this excellent New Republic piece recently demonstrated. The Boston ADL revolt and its aftershocks are a major national and international story; the Times ought to treat it as such.

Indecency, interrupted

Mark Lilla's mistake

2 Comments

Bob said:

The New York times and the Post have carried a number of full page advertisements from the Jewish lobby denying the geonicde, the Globe has note. It doesn't make much business sense for them to cover this story.

August 31, 2007 3:39 AM
ari said:

It's not about ad revenue. If the Times actually covered Foxman he'd lose a lot of NY support -- the only possible way to weaken his position in the ADL. Foxman controls the ADL on because there are few checks on his power -- the board is extremely weak, and the other Jewish communities haven't been properly informed about the issues. So, for now, the problem has been contained to Boston.

September 5, 2007 8:13 PM