In one of the most egregious examples of hypocrisy and unevenness, the New York Daily News ran a front-page story on October 11 about a priest who was arrested for sending pornographic pictures of himself through e-mail to an undercover cop; there was a follow up on this story the next day. Only a few days earlier, on October 7, theDaily News buried a story about a rabbi who had sex with his daughter for 10 years, beginning when she was 9.
Bill Donohue wrote to the Daily News’ editor-in-chief, Martin Dunn, asking him why the story about the priest garnered front-page attention, but the story about the rabbi was relegated to page 18. Donohue also mentioned that neither the New York Times nor the New York Post covered the story about the priest, yet Dunn’s paper decided to make it a lead story.
In his letter Donohue said, “What is disturbing is the flagrantly different standard that the Daily News uses in running stories on clergy sex scandals.” Donohue concluded his letter by asking Dunn, “Could you please explain why the Daily News decided not to do a front-page story on a rabbi who raped his daughter?”
We commend the efforts of New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind who has tried to stop the problem of clergy abuse in the Jewish community. The New York politician says that an “avalanche of people” have come forward with reports of the sexual abuse of minors at the hands of Orthodox Jews.
