Labor Troubles for 5WPR?
The controversial public relations firm 5W Public Relations is the subject of an “ongoing investigation” by the New York Department of Labor, the department told the Forward.
The investigation prompted an allegedly stormy visit to 5WPR’s offices on Monday, which was first reported on the gossip Web site Gawker. Gawker has reported in the past on the difficult relationship that 5WPR and its brash CEO, Ronn Torossian, have had with employees and former employees.
When asked about the raid by the Forward, Torossian wrote in an email: “The department of labor made a random site visit.”
5WPR represents a number of big companies, but it has attracted equal attention for its work with smaller clients like the evangelical preacher, John Hagee, the right-wing Israeli politician Binyamin Alon, and the kosher meat company Agriprocessors.
5WPR has been under scrutiny since it announced that it was representing Taglit-Birthright Israel, which sends young Jews on free trips to Israel.
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
