Columbia Professor Reportedly Told Students To Avoid Mainstream Media Because 'It Is Owned By Jews'

A Columbia professor reportedly told students to avoid consuming the mainstream media following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7. The professor feared the coverage of the ensuing war would be propagandistic. 

The administrator told the students that the media is problematic because it is "owned by Jews," per the Columbia University task force. 

A student named Avi says he was in the classroom while the professor issued the warning about the media. The student spoke to Fox News on Thursday: 

"There should be no reason in an academic institution which is supposed to foster free thinking, that a professor should espouse hate and ever speak that way in and out of the classroom."

Avi says he does not expect the university to take action against the professor because the college has "already set a precedent of failing to respond to antisemitic incidents on campus."

"They have given free rein to the mob," he adds.

The incident with the professor was just one of several cited in the task force report regarding antisemitism on campus. The report mentions comments from "hundreds of testimonies," which described a pattern of "harassment, intimidation, discrimination and exclusion against Jewish students by professors and fellow students."

"Other incidents included students wearing Jewish symbols having them torn from their person. Some were pushed out of student clubs they had been part of because they did not want to participate in group actions and statements against Israel's right to exist," the report reads.

Just last week, a separate report from the Free Beacon obtained photos of Columbia administrators sending text messages to each other in which they mocked Jewish students who expressed fears for their safety during a "Jewish life on campus" panel on May 31:

You can see some of the texts captured below, including the use of the vomit emoji:

We published a column in April about what's causing the normalization of antisemitism at elite universities, and how it stems from the Marxian concept that struggle is primarily the result of exploitation:

Per our column:

"The ongoing anti-Israel protests across so-called "elite" American campuses demonstrate the consequences of seeing the world as split between the oppressed and their oppressors — the vision that modern progressives believe is the answer to our troubles.

"Believers of the overly simplistic oppressor/oppressed ideology are uniquely susceptible to the whims of divisive propaganda. In this case, radicalized students attribute the ills of the Middle East to colonialism and imperialism. They blame the Jews."

Author Barton Swaim of the Wall Street Journal also described how "elite" students apply said Marxian theory to the conflict in Gaza:

"[Liberal college students] can’t behold Israel’s prosperity without concluding that the Jews have stolen their wealth from their neighbors," explained Swaim. "The entire ‘social justice’ movement is premised on the belief that if one group does well and another doesn’t, the former must have taken advantage of the latter."

If you had any doubts, you should no longer. Columbia University is a safe haven for antisemitism, from both professors and students. 

Jewish students might still be welcome on campus, if they or their parents are willing to pay. Yet, they must understand they will be walking into an indoctrination camp that, as a unit, loathes their existence, history, and presence. 

Finally, the "Jews own the media" statement is a century-long trope. However, the professor made the statement amidst a period in which several mainstream media organizations – CNN, MSNBC, NPR, New York Times, and Washington Post among others – notoriously provided soft and sympathetic coverage of Palestine.

The mainstream media is dreadful. And it does favor many groups – including blacks, liberals, and trans people – but Jews are not one of them.

Written by
Bobby Burack is a writer for OutKick where he reports and analyzes the latest topics in media, culture, sports, and politics.. Burack has become a prominent voice in media and has been featured on several shows across OutKick and industry related podcasts and radio stations.