14 | APRIL 4 • 2024 

bites and catchphrases they have 
seen on social media. 
 Both professors see this as a 
symptom that many young peo-
ple are increasingly relying on 
brief social media posts rather 
than deeper analyses found in 
mainstream media or books. 
They quickly form opinions 
rather than take time to form 
them based on critical thinking 
and learning. 
“What these posters indi-
cate to me here is that students 
are being confronted with an 
avalanche of information and 
misinformation that they are 
consuming not from main-
stream media but social media,
” 
Khan said. 
“I do not want to general-
ize, but what we are seeing on 
Wayne State’s campus is that 
there is a shift that students are 
gravitating toward social media 
for news and away from main-
stream media sources. And here 
we see it at the pre-college level 
as well. Their sourcing of mate-
rial is becoming more siloed and 
is what I would argue is showing 
conformation bias.
” 
Adding to this thought, 
Lupovitch said there was a time 
when people gathered their 
news from newspapers and 
three main media networks. 
News from these sources took 
time to be produced and writ-
ten, and there could be as much 
as a 24-hour pause for media 
outlets to research and report. 
The 24-hour cable news cycle 
changed all this, he said. 
“These days, we have media 
outlets constantly changing and 
updating their content online,
” 
Lupovitch said. “We no longer 
must wait for a physical copy of 
the newspaper to hit the front 
door in the morning. It is a gen-
erational thing because younger 
people today feel that someone 
on the ground providing images 
carries more credibility to them 

than an official news outlet. 
“
And when you have a story 
that causes outrage, the basis of 
your outrage might be based on 
false or exaggerated information. 
And even if the story is correct-
ed, the outrage remains. 
“Our youth have trouble being 
patient. But sometimes, when 
news breaks, especially in war, 
one should take a breath and 
wait even 24 hours and check 
more than one news source 
before drawing conclusions.
” 

ADL IS WORKING 
BEHIND THE SCENES

ADL Michigan 
Director Carolyn 
Normandin said 
that several ADL 
officials have 
met with Roeper 
Head of School 
Christopher 
Federico following 
the appearance of the posters. 
However, Normandin could not 
get specific about what these 
initiatives or follow-up plans 
include. 
“We often work with schools 
behind the scenes, so we had 
been working with Roeper 
since the last week of February,
” 
Normandin said. “We went 
over some of the concerns we 
had, and [Roeper administra-
tors]were very open and very 
thoughtful. 
“They also indicated they’re 
bringing training,
” Normandin 
said. “We know some of the 
training they’re bringing in, and 
we think it’s appropriate. We all 
acknowledge just how complex 
this topic is, and even most 
adults have a limited knowledge 
of the history of the Palestinian-
Israeli conflict.
” 
She stressed the importance of 
making reports to the ADL any 
time an incident of perceived 
bias occurs in schools. That 
way, the ADL can investigate to 

determine if an act of hate or 
bias had occurred and facilitate 
with the school on what the next 
steps should be. When individu-
als report incidents to the ADL, 
they are looking for help, and 
that is the ADL
’s purpose, said 
Normandin. 
She commended Roeper for 
inviting Lupovitch and Khan to 
the school to speak. 
“When an incident happens, 
the ADL takes on a whole 
school approach,
” Normandin 
said. 
“When we met with Roeper, 
we talked about proper commu-
nication when the time comes 
for policy change and how you 
communicate the news of an 
incident or a planned program 
thoughtfully to your school 
constituents. We emphasize that 
once reports are filed with the 
ADL, that is the way we find out 
about things, investigate, collect 
the data and find ways to help.
” 

JEWISH FAMILIES
AT ROEPER
Roeper parent Erika Bocknek 
said she was pleased with the 
visit by the professors and hopes 
that it could mark the beginning 
of changes and foster more dia-
logue at the school. She is also 
thankful for the group of Jewish 
families who have bonded since 
the Oct. 7 massacre. 

“Roeper has a truly wonder-
ful group of Jewish families,
” 
Bocknek said. “We are new to 
the school, and we have loved 
getting to know this group. We 
have formed a Family Affinity 
group, and I am proud of how 
we are supporting each other. 
My son has said the same about 
being part of the Jewish Student 
Union. He loves being Jewish 
and is so happy to have that 
group to be a part of at school.
”

Another Jewish parent who 
wished not to be named said 
her son, who is a Roeper high 

school student, thought the 
professors’ talk was helpful. Still, 
he feels that students continue 
to be reticent to hear opposing 
viewpoints.
“He does feel like the school 
is doing its best to present fair 
messaging,
” the parent said. “He 
appreciated the explanation of 
why using terms like genocide 
and apartheid are harmful and 
incorrect. The school is taking 
some much-needed steps to 
educate and foster commu-
nication. The Roeper Jewish 
Families Affinity Group has 
been supportive and nurturing 
and that has been a high point 
for our family.
”

ROEPER’S STATEMENT
Federico declined multiple invi-
tations for an interview with the 
JN, including the initial article 
that was published on March 4. 
Instead, the school released 
the following statement: 
“Roeper faculty and staff have 
continued to take proactive steps 
to promote critical thinking and 
productive discourse among our 
students,
” the statement read. 
“On [March 14], Wayne State 
University Professors Howard 
Lupovitch and Saeed Khan vis-
ited campus to speak with stu-
dents. The professors addressed 
critical thinking, navigating 
misinformation and engaging in 
constructive dialogue on com-
plex topics. They responded to 
questions regarding Zionism, 
antisemitism and other facets of 
the Israel-Hamas conflict.
” 
The statement continued: 
“Following the student assembly 
with the professors, we provided 
safe spaces for students to 
continue discussions with 
classmates and faculty and to 
enable students to process what 
they learned from the professors, 
fostering an environment where 
diverse viewpoints are respected 
and valued.
” 

Carolyn 
Normandin

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