August 2nd, 2010 by NGO Monitor Staff | Category: NGO Monitor

To the editor:

As an academic, Prof. David Newman’s attack on NGO Monitor was both wrong and irrelevant to the debate on politics in the university (”Left and right at the lectern,” Haaretz, July 30, 2010). NGO Monitor is a research organization focusing on NGOs (not universities), and  if Newman does not like the research and analysis, he should present his data and make the case.

Just as he disagrees with the sweeping characterization of the Ben Gurion University faculty as “traitors, criminals, and leftists,” Newman’s attempts to discredit individuals and groups who do not share his ideology are unethical. Political witch hunts from all parts of the spectrum have no place in the academic search for knowledge.