The Jewish Chronicle's recent controversy over its former freelance writer Elon Perry's alleged misconduct continues to reverberate in the UK, as two of its prominent journalists – Hadley Freeman and Jonathan Freedland – announced their resignations from the newspaper, citing "recent events" as the catalyst for their departure.
Perry, a freelance journalist who had contributed to The Jewish Chronicle, was accused by critics, mainly in Israel, as having fabricated elements of his personal history and professional experience.
The newspaper, having conducted an internal investigation into the matter, announced the conclusion of its inquiry on September 13 via a post on X. The post itself provided no details regarding the investigation's findings.
I have done the same https://t.co/s5Mmc36gJy
— David Aaronovitch (@DAaronovitch) September 15, 2024
"The Jewish Chronicle has concluded a thorough investigation into freelance journalist Elon Perry, which commenced after allegations were made about aspects of his record. While we understand he did serve in the Israel Defense Forces, we were not satisfied with some of his claims. We have therefore removed his stories from our website and ended any association with Mr Perry," the outlet wrote. "The Jewish Chronicle maintains the highest journalistic standards in a highly contested information landscape and we deeply regret the chain of events that led to this point. We apologize to our loyal readers and have reviewed our internal processes so that this will not be repeated."
Hadley Freeman, a columnist for The Jewish Chronicle, expressed gratitude for her time at the newspaper but stated unequivocally that "recent events have made it impossible for me to stay."
Jonathan Freedland, another prominent journalist associated with The Jewish Chronicle, also chose X as the platform to announce his resignation. In his statement, he declared that he "can no longer continue [his] relationship with the paper."
To whoever is interested in such things, I've resigned as a columnist from @JewishChron. I'm immensely grateful for all the support I've had from the editors during my time there, and enjoyed writing for it enormously. But recent events have made it impossible for me to stay.
— Hadley Freeman (@HadleyFreeman) September 15, 2024
"As you know, my attachment to the JC runs very deep. It's been part of my life from the start: my birth was announced on its pages, as was my marriage and the death of my loved ones. I have been a columnist on the paper since 1998. My late father started writing for the JC in 1951. Between him and me, a Freedland has appeared regularly in The Jewish Chronicle for nearly 75 years," Freedland wrote. "That bond partly explains why I've stuck with it even as it departed from the traditions that built its reputation as the world's oldest Jewish newspaper and, in its own, somewhat quaint words, 'the organ of British Jewry.' The latest scandal brings great disgrace on the paper – publishing fabricated stories and showing only the thinnest form of contrition – but it is only the latest. Too often, the JC reads like a partisan, ideological instrument, its judgments political rather than journalistic. Of course, all newspapers make mistakes and run articles that writers on the paper dislike. The problem in this case is that there can be no real accountability because the JC is owned by a person or people who refuse to reveal themselves. As you know, I and others have long urged transparency, making that case to you privately – but nothing has happened. I hope one day to return to the JC. But that can only happen when the JC returns to its own best traditions. For now, and with the heaviest of hearts, I need to break my connection with it – because I no longer recognize it."
Anshel Pfeffer, a seasoned journalist with a 16-year history at The Jewish Chronicle, had transitioned to a full-time role at The Economist in July 2024. Despite having already severed his formal ties with the newspaper, Pfeffer took to X to express solidarity with his former colleagues, stating, "I of course fully support my colleagues who have done so today and share their concerns". He added, "Since some people asked, I can't leave the Jewish Chronicle as I already ended my 16-year association with the paper at the end of July when I took up a full-time position with The Economist."
The Jewish Chronicle is the world's oldest Jewish newspaper. The controversy began several months ago when Perry, described as a British-based Israeli journalist, started contributing a series of reports allegedly based on Israeli intelligence sources. These highly sensational articles purported to describe detailed Israeli operations and intelligence gathered on Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and his plans.
Journalists covering the Gaza conflict, already skeptical about the veracity of the material, were unable to verify Perry's credentials as described by the paper. These suspicions were brought to light last week when Israeli media outlets described Perry's articles as "fabrications." One particularly contentious article claimed that intelligence showed Sinwar planned to escape to Iran with hostages, based on the interrogation of a senior Hamas figure and a document found in late August. This story was quickly dismissed as a "wild fabrication" by an IDF spokesman.
Obviously it's every newspaper editor's worst nightmare to be deceived by a journalist.
The @JewishChron has cut all ties with the freelancer in question and his work has now been removed from our website. Readers can be assured that stronger internal procedures are being…— Jake Wallis Simons (@JakeWSimons) September 15, 2024
Further investigation revealed that Perry's claims about his background, including his supposed work as a journalist and academic and parts of his military record, were either untrue or questionable. Perry faced scrutiny over his claim to have served as a soldier during the Entebbe hostage rescue mission in 1976 and to have been a professor at Tel Aviv University for 15 years.
The removal of the articles raises serious questions for JC editor Jake Wallis Simons, who has so far declined to explain how Perry came to write for the paper or what due diligence was exercised over his increasingly fantastic claims. Perry defended himself to The Guardian, stating, "The JC made a huge mistake with its statement." He described the criticism as a "witch-hunt... caused by jealousy from Israeli journalists and outlets who could not obtain the details that I managed to."
Jake Wallis, the editor of the JC wrote the following on Sunday, on X: Obviously it's every newspaper editor's worst nightmare to be deceived by a journalist. The @JewishChron has cut all ties with the freelancer in question and his work has now been removed from our website. Readers can be assured that stronger internal procedures are being implemented. I understand why some columnists have decided to step back from the paper. I am grateful for their contributions and hope that, in time, some of them will feel able to return. I take full responsibility for the mistakes that have been made and I will take equal responsibility for the task of making sure nothing like this can happen again.
