PUBLISHER'S NOTEBOOK

•• A 'Guard Dog' For The Jewish Community

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vision, cable television, satellite televi-
Ilir ith the spotlight on Pres-
sion and the World Wide Web.
ident Bill Clinton's trial,
"Watch dog" or wolf pack?
senators have become
In Ben Franklin's day, the
historians in an effort to
process of writing, editing, printing
understand the intent of the Constitu-
and disseminating Poor Richard's
tion's framers. What did they
Almanac, or any newspaper,
mean by "high crimes and mis-
took time. Inherently, this
demeanors?" Was there any
allowed for some reflection.
case-law precedent to assist
But today, information is
them in their deliberations?
transmitted live, instanta-
Unfortunately, the spotlight
neously, around the world.
has not focused on those train-
Competition entices media
ing it on the Capitol — the
outlets to be first, even at the
media. The framers believed that
expense of accuracy and
a free, independent press was an
ARTHUR M. thoughtfulness.
essential element in ensuring a
(Even when being first isn't
HORWITZ
vibrant democracy. The press
everything, could the framers
Publisher
was the "watch dog" of govern-
have envisioned the game of
ment and an informed citizenry
professional football, let alone
could sift through information and
seven hours of game-day Super Bowl
make choices about the Republic and
hype, being watched by hundreds of
those elected to represent them.
millions of people.
We know the flip side — Commu-
To adapt to the realities of how
nist party newspapers like Pravda and
information is gathered and dissemi-
the media outlets in Iraq, Libya and
nated, the media could put the "watch
North Korea. Rather than act as
dog" on a shorter leash. But this
)) the media there serve as
"watch dog,
requires self-discipline, something
"lap dog" for the ruling regimes.
about as likely in the media as a vol-
Just as members of the Senate
untary salary cap in the National Bas-
reflect on whether the framers of 1787
ketball Association. Rather, it is time
would have intended misleading a
for a paradigm shift. Put the watch
grand jury about improper sexual rela-
dog to sleep and replace it with a
tions and alleged witness tampering to
guard dog.
be offenses worthy of removing the
Philip Meyer, a veteran Knight-
president from office, representatives
Ridder Newspapers editor and pioneer
of the media should reassess whether
researcher of interactive media, advo-
these same wise men envisioned an
cates the guard dog over the watch
information marketplace of newspa-
dog and lap dog breeds. The watch
pers, magazines, radio, broadcast tele-
dog, Meyer contends, barks at every-

spirituality, and tefillah (prayer) class-
es. Talk about Jewish programming
and experiences!
The programs for younger campers
offer much of the same programming
as well as the opportunity to live in a
Hebrew-speaking-only village. Services

are planned, led and
written by the campers
themselves. Visits from
rabbis and Jewish edu-
cators are the norm;
however, most of the
camps employ full-time
resident rabbis.
UAHC camps also
offer teen trips to Israel
and the West. A high
school semester in Israel
with full U.S. accredita-
tion is also offered; my
oldest daughter just

returned.
After only a couple of years attending
these camps, my children showed a
remarkable change. They have a greater
commitment to Judaism and their com-
munity. They have a greater understand-
ing of Jewish ethics, values and morals.

ires to communicate news and opinion that's useful, engag-
and unique. It strives to reflect the full range of diverse viewpoints
advocating positions that strengthen Jewish unity and continuity.
sire to create and maintain a challenging, caring, enjoyable work
ent that encourages creativity and innovation. We acknowledge
as a responsible, responsive member of the community. Being com-
we must alwa.ys strive to be the most respected, outstanding Jewish
nity publication in the nation.
rewards are informed, dedicated readers, very satisfied advertisers, con-
employees and profitable growth.

thing ... making lots of noise and
requiring the public to filter the infor-
mation. The lap dog, on the other
hand, is cozy and contented ... too
close its subjects to be credible.
The guard dog, however, is discern-
ing. It exhibits discipline, weighs the
impact of its work, but is still ready to
let out a calculated yelp or howl.
In today's media environment, we
advocate the guard dog approach, too.
As an independent, 57-year-old
weekly publication in an era of instant
communication, we are poorly posi-
tioned to "break' stories. A story we
pursue on Thursday doesn't appear in
The Jewish News until the following
Friday, eight days later. It's likely to be
old news by then. Therefore, our
stock-in-trade must be providing
unique, unsubstitutable information
and analyses. As "guard dogs," we
have the time to be disciplined.
To assist us in this task, a commu-
nity advisory group convened Jan. 28

for the first time. Periodically, it will
meet to provide insights, perspective
and critiques of our content. The
group consists of attorney, entrepre-
neur and Yeshiva Beth Yehudah Presi-
dent Gary Torgow; Marion Freed-
man, president of Temple Beth El
and executive director of the Neigh-
borhood Project; WDIV-4 journalist
Lila Lazarus, a former Jewish News
reporter; Grosse Pointe Jewish Coun-
cil founding member Dr. Jeff Wein-
garten; community activist Steve
Schanes; attorney Mark Bakst; inde-
pendent film producer Mindy Soble;
community activist Sally Krugel and
Ira Kaufman Chapel director and
author David Techner.
We encourage you, our valued
readers, to play an active role in moni-
toring our content and to share your
approval or disapproval directly with
our editors, through our letters-to-the-
editor columns or by buttonholing one
GUARD DOG on page 27

I hope that when Jewish philan-
thropists look for where to spend their
camp money, they evaluate all of their
options. Besides Tamarack Camps,
there are many camps offering varying
degrees of Jewish programming and
atmosphere. I would recommend
UAHC Camps. These are the type of
camps our future Jewish and commu-
nity leaders will come from.
Dennis Rosett
Walled Lake

We especially appreciated the Jan.
15 space provided for a story regard-
ing our computer workshop. It is grat-
ifying to know that we have a local
publication that is community mind-
ed.
Fred Apel
Vice-president pu blicity,
Jewish Genealogical Society of Michigan

Thanks For
Coverage

It is clear that Iraqi leader Saddam
Hussein presents a threat not only to
the safety of his neighbors, but also
the stability of the Middle East and
the world.
Saddam has deliberately obstructed
the inspections of the U.N. mission in
order to maintain his ability to manu-

I wish to thank you on behalf of the
Jewish Genealogical Society of Michi-
gan for your generosity and kindness
in placing our notices in your calen-
dar.

Saddam Must
Be Replaced

2/12
1999

Detroit Jewish News

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