DOCUMENTING JEW HATRED ON CAMPUS

Letter to CT Publisher Micah Bettenhausen and CT Editor-in-Chief Allie Tay

To CT Publisher Micah Bettenhausen and CT Editor-in-Chief Allie Tay:

We, the Jewish Employee Resource Group at the University of Rochester (application pending), representing faculty, staff, and trainees across departments, write to express our grave concern regarding the November 14th Campus Times article, "'Wanted' posters accusing University affiliates displayed throughout campus."

The University has officially recognized the posters in the article as antisemitic materials designed to intimidate specific community members and requested that media outlets refrain from republishing or broadcasting images of the posted materials. Yet, as explained below, the Campus Times' coverage not only reproduces the posters without redaction but also legitimizes their baseless content by treating them as credible sources of crimes purportedly committed by the targeted individuals. (See: https://www.rochester.edu/president/message-regarding-wanted-posters/ and https://www.rochester.edu/public-safety/update-on-wanted-posters-investigation/)The Campus Times failed to meet even the most fundamental journalistic requirement of requesting comment from those they are accusing - an inexcusable breach of basic reporting standards.

The article breaches fundamental journalistic ethics and responsible reporting practices in several critical ways:

1. It amplifies antisemitic content by republishing the "Wanted" posters in their entirety, directly contravening the University of Rochester Department of Public Safety's explicit request to media outlets not to reproduce these materials.

2. It presents unsubstantiated, defamatory allegations as factual statements through a detailed chart that lists individuals' names, affiliations, and the alleged crimes they are “Wanted For” without any disclaimer or context regarding the baseless nature of these accusations.

3. Most alarmingly, it endangers the physical safety of targeted individuals—predominantly Jewish members of our community—by publishing their names and photographs alongside inflammatory accusations treated as truth. This reckless editorial decision is particularly concerning given the recent violent assault at DePaul University following similar targeting of Jewish individuals.

Given the documented rise in antisemitic violence on college campuses and the clear precedent of such targeting leading to physical attacks, we urge you to:

• • Immediately remove the photographs and identifying information from the online version of the article.

  • Issue a prominent correction acknowledging the unverified nature of all allegations.

  • Review and strengthen your editorial standards regarding the publication of potentially harmful content in violation of Public Safety directives.  

 Our ERG has no interest in stifling speech. However, these actions by the Campus Times’ writers display a lack of respect for the University’s Public Safety request not to publish the posters or their contents. This must be dealt with in accordance with the progressive disciplinary process outlined by the applicable standards of conduct. The same is true for any staff or faculty advisors to this publication.

Signed:

Adela Planerova
Alex Iosevich
Andrew Cohen
Carolina Marcus
Deborah Ossip
Eby Friedman
Gal DiMambro
Helena Temkin-Greener
Jacob Moalem
Jonathan Marcus
Laura Slane
Martin S. Zand
Michael Telias
Noah Landy
Ram Haddas
Rami Katz
Regina Smolyak
Ricky Roet-Green
Sharon Schwartz
Vera Tilson
Vitaly Lerner
Wayne Lipschitz

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