Friday, February 3, 2012

PennBDS Censors Free Speech, bans Jewish paper

The organizers of the PennBDS Conference have have revoked the press credentials of the only local Jewish paper, the Jewish Exponent, effectively banning the paper from attending the BDS conference. The controversial anti-Israel Conference is scheduled for this weekend.

From the Exponent:

"It is ironic that a group that purports to be interested in open dialogue, is operating under the cover of free speech and insists it is not anti-Semitic, is barring the only Jewish news outlet in town from covering the conference," said Lisa Hostein, the Exponent's executive editor.

University officials said that while they didn't agree that barring any press was a good idea, they could not do anything because it was a private group that had the right to decide who could come to its event."

3 comments:

  1. Isn't Penn State the wonderful place where sports heroes buggered 10 year old boys in the showers and no one said anything for 10 years?? A cess-pit already and will easily become all mozlem in a few months, Pedophilia being a pillar of islam

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  2. The BDS conference is happening at the University of Pennsylvania- different school, same state.

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  3. Dear Editor, 

    Just as the Jewish Exponent was barred access to this weekend's BDS conference at the University of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Jewish Voice's Lori Lowenthal Marcus also requested press access to the conference and our request was immediately refused. We can thus sympathize with the sentiments reflected in your article "Philadelphia Jewish Exponent Blasts BDS Group For Barring Reporter" (Feb 5, 2012,  http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/breaking_news/philadelphia_jewish_exponent_blasts_bds_group_barring_reporter ); this group is interested in bashing Israel, not as they claim in opening a meaningful dialog. 

    Still I must correct an important misstatement. The Jewish Exponent has not been "the only Jewish news outlet in town" since at least 2005. The Philadelphia Jewish Voice has been in continuous publication as an alternative source of local and national Jewish News for the last six and a half years. We are proud members of the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association which has recognized our online presence with a 2nd place award in their 2011 Newspaper of the Year Contest. (Stars of David, Jan. 11, 2012,  http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/25074/Stars_of_David/) 

    We do not look for recognition from the anti-Israel groups on campus, but we would hope that our big, older brother in Jewish journalism would remember us.

    Yours,

    Dr. Daniel E. Loeb
    publisher@pjvoice.com

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