We try to remember the frightening power of this medium and the damage it can cause
This is a scary job.
We’re not surgeons holding scalpels to people’s organs and we’re not therapists running fraught interventions. But we do have a frightening power to hurt people every week — to damage their feelings, reputations, or privacy.
When I was little, I grew up hearing the story of the woman who, after slandering a friend, asked the Chofetz Chaim how to repair the damage. He instructed her to open a sack of feathers and allow the wind to spread them through her village. Then he told her to gather all the feathers. That would be impossible, she said — only to realize the futility of trying to rein in words that had already taken flight. Once her slander had become public, there was no way to control the spread.
The same dynamic is at play here. Once material goes to print, it’s public property that can be shared, discussed, repeated endlessly. That’s a very scary thought.
So we try very hard to be careful. We build our processes with multiple levels of review and revision. We check and recheck the material. We allow our interviewees to approve their quotes, to ensure that sensitivities are addressed and damaging material removed. We respect (or advise) the use of pennames when warranted. Our editors and rabbinic advisors go through every piece looking for possible lashon hara or damaging material.
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