TLS: If you’re Looking for Lashon Hara & Shmutz, you Came to the Wrong Place

tls logoIf you’re visiting TLS for the latest ‘Shmutz’ or gossip in town, you may as well ‘x’ out the tab and continue elsewhere.

We’ve been asked many times why we don’t cover certain stories that may seem to be relevant to the Lakewood community (both Jewish and non-Jewish), and the answer is, that’s not what we’re here for.

Have we made mistakes in the past? Yes. This site is run by humans who do in fact err once in a while. But those mistakes don’t define who we are and what we stand for.

In case you haven’t noticed over the past many years, no, we don’t ‘go with the flow’. Despite being one of the largest Jewish-based websites worldwide, we don’t do what may seem popular – we aim to do what’s right. We do not run our site based on what some anonymous commenters think is important or unimportant.

Talking about commenters for a moment – have you even taken a minute to think before commenting? What possesses a Yid to sit there behind a keyboard – anonymously, of course – and make disparaging and degrading remarks about another – whether it be a politician, an Askan, Yeshivah, Menahel, or even a public servant, and then expect it to get published for all to read? Did you even think of the ramifications of spewing your ignorance, Lashon Hara, Rechilus etc in a public forum for thousands to read? And what about the Agmas Nefesh you’re causing to the family of these people who may read your comments? And how about the family that dropped a Shidduch because of the pure blatant lies you decided to spread about the family – whom you had a personal grudge against? Did you even think about the fact that the comments you post on the web can live on for years? Where is your Achrayus? Sure, many things can be said, but it’s how you say them.

And though other allegedly-Frum-based sites will not agree with our approach, but rather allow more of a ‘freedom’ to express their ‘opinions’, we just won’t tolerate it on any of our large forums – even if it means losing some of our tens of thousands of daily readers, or even clients for that matter.

Being the number one source for information in Lakewood comes with a tremendous Achrayus, and Achrayus we are well aware of. We therefore have strict guidelines as to what a Frum and Toradig home in one of the largest Jewish communities in the world should be exposed to. We pride ourselves in keeping to the highest standards – even if it comes at a financial loss by turning down large clients who wish to push their non-Torahdig Hashkafos. Kavod of the Eibershter and Klal Yisroel is not for sale.

Thank you,

The Staff at TLS.

 

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30 COMMENTS

  6. Your points are well taken. Two observations/questions. Why not have a rule that no one can post anonymously. The observation is that although some stories might seem to be problematic, it is a difficult job to know which to post and which not to. I would say, for instance, that reporting that a trusted person in a community was found to be a child molester is a story to be told in the right way, but to totally ignore does a disservice also. Keep up the good work.

  14. It seems to me that TLS does not publish a lot of stories that are kosher because of the fact hat there maybe are people that follow TLS that may not be members of our community. I think that that is incorrect. A public service that is run for the community should not worry about that, although I agree with all of the above.

    Thank You

  15. All we need now is a good sports section and we won’t have to go anywhere else on the web! Actually, thank you for carrying the Paris story this week. If you’d just carrybsome more news on Eretz Yisroel and the rest of the world, we can really stay on this site only and skip the lashon harah found in other places. Please think about it. Thank you.

  19. Thanks for taking the high road. Maybe by not going fo the sensational or salacious, you are giving up some hits, maybe not. But when I want to know whats going on in town thats important to me, i come here.

  20. Well said. I appreaciate the candidness of TLS’s position, and dedication towards keeping out the negetivity that many commentators thrive on.

    To be honest, I few years back, I read The Scoop soley for the entertainment value of the comments.

    Now, I visit The Scoop daily even though I no longer live in NJ, because I value the content posted.

    Similarily, Icontinue to support TLS’s effort to remove negative and hurtful comments. There is no gain or place in sharing hateful on a news site.

    AJ

  22. Very refreshing. However being that you agree that you err once in a while as you are human, what or according to which Halacha authority do you base your assumption that it is ok to publish your news stories for public consumption when sometimes you inadvertently commit mass murder by default? Loshon hara is murder and murder unintentionally is also murder! Please don’t get me wrong I’m not from the high holy committee. It just irks me to see a self praising article while bashing the commentators for being liable to Lashon Hara etc… When in a big way you are liable as well. I don’t think you are going to publish my comment but the point of it is for you the editor anyway. Again I don’t wish to bash you it just seems hypocritical to me. Wishing you hatzlacha in doing the right thing.

  23. Hey “Surprised” #22
    You make it quite clear that you are not from the “high holy community” by arrogantly speaking down on those who do their best to take the high road and be holy. I’m sure YOU refrain from posting anything negative on any sites. and certainly wouldn’t post anything negative about a site on the site itself!! and certainly not in an article about how the site tries it’s best to refrain from just such negativity!!!
    Yes you are clearly a shining example of thinking before you post so you can avoid “mass murder”.

  25. Hey noway #23,

    I have NEVER posted anything before on ANY site which was negative about anyone! If you really read my comment I was respectfully voicing my objection to something which I felt was a double standard. I had no inkling that the editor would post my comment and the very fact that he did shows you that he took it the way it was intended, not personal and not in any way as offensive. I check TLS at least 25 x a day and think that TLS does a great service to the community. That being said I still thought that the article brought up a “Grey” area which I’m sure every editor has to deal with constantly and it’s not in any editors comfort zone to address these issues head on as it always looks like there’s a double standard. Bottom line noway , if you have nothing to say , why say nothing so clearly?!

  28. #22
    If you’re looking for a double standard you need to look no further than someone who piously lectures about how a site commits “mass murder”, yet they check the site at least 25 times a day. Seriously? 25 times a day is that a typo?

    So you question TLS’s “assumption that it is ok to publish news stories for public consumption” when it leads to mass murder of loshon horah, but its ok for you to obsessively check the site 25 times a day.

    And could it be that you submitted a comment on an article just like everyone else yet had “no inklink” that it would be published?

    Everyone else was happy to thank TLS for their service integrity and interest in doing the right thing, yet only one commenter who is not from the “high holy community” got on his hypocritical high horse to “respectfully” accuse TLS of being “liable” for “mass murder”. Gimme a break.

  29. I think TLS should change its name to aomething more befitting if these new rules apply. The word scoop usually refers to the nitty gritty of a story or circumstances. As in *Give me the full SCOOP.r

  30. TLS , I think issue people have that bothers them the most is when TLS posts articles from Askant or ORG when the content is clear to everyone is fluff and overstated and TLS just posts it because of whatever reason. When its clear to educated people and people in the know that its Fluff. The problem is that some people are not in the know and think that articles you post are vetted and its clear to al to of us that they are not. Thats why we leave negative comments because its very frustrating when people support and finance some of these when we know there is really almost nothin there

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