Charlie Sykes: Sykes Writes

UWM POST UPDATE

By Charlie Sykes

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A local rabbi sees a lesson in campus journalism in the controversy at UWM.

Sinai's own Savannah Hunnicutt, a UWM sophomore, had the unfortunate experience of having a story retracted by the UWM Post editor for completely spurious reasons. Savannah reported on a gathering of speakers who were comparing Israel with Apartheid South Africa and calling for divestment in companies that do business with Israel. Unfortunately, most of the comments from speakers were vilifying Israelis and denying Israel's right to exist.

The first link below connects to the UWM Post Story that was "retracted."The UWM Post - Middle East forum ignites controversy

The second is an audio podcast from the "Charlie Sykes" show on WTMJ 620 am. I don't often find myself in complete agreement with Charlie, but I think his comments are right on target in this case. Charlie Sykes Podcast on WTMJ.

I want to acknowledge Savannah's bravery in the face of the bias and hate she witnessed and experienced. Her story is not unique. College campuses are rife with anti-Israel activities. This has eroded the support of Israel, which among young Jews used to be much stronger.

What's your reaction to this event? What can we/should we do about it?

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi David Cohen

**

UWM's editor's continue to try to defend their decision:

Dear Mr. Sykes,

I fully expect you to post the attached documents in a prominent place on your website by the end of the day. Doing so would only be fair to The UWM Post and to your listeners and readers.

To make this easier for you, I've taken the time to upload the attached documents to our web server. Here are the URL's, which you can link to on your site:


http://www.uwmpost.com/misc/SykesResponse.pdf

Links to emails deleted for privacy reasons.


http://www.uwmpost.com/misc/UneditedHunnicutt.pdf


I stand by Mr. Swieciak's statement. We thought it appropriate for him to provide his thoughts, as he was the one dealing with Hunnicutt. Please don't hesitate to call me if you have any questions.

Kevin Lessmiller
Editor in Chief
The UWM Post

**

My response: