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.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
