In regards to yesterdays article written by Menachem Lubinsky, the following letter was written by Mayer Fertig [Publisher and Editor-in-chief of The Jewish Star]:

Menachem,

You are certainly entitled to your view that it is appropriate to simultaneously function as a journalist and as a paid mouthpiece for a company you’re covering. Unfortunately, this would not meet the baseline ethical standards of any legitimate publication. It’s a shame that as editor of a newsletter that you bill as ‘The mouthpiece of the kosher food industry,’ you would fail to meet such a standard.

Even after you have been exposed in print, you continue to stand by the company line — which you wrote. Yes, disputes of the sort you describe are commonplace. I just find it hard to believe that you see no news value in any hint of uncertainty related to the largest kosher meat provider in the US. Particularly after you chose to report on the same issue just last week. This would seem to cast doubt on the quality of your news judgment rather than the quality of the story.

Furthermore, your dismissal of legitimate reporting on AgriProcessors and its hashgachas as the work of ‘disgruntled writers’ strikes me as more than a little convenient. Such a mischaracterization only serves to further undermine your position.

Sincerely,

Mayer Fertig
Publisher and Editor-in-chief
The Jewish Star.