Forum V: Public Disclosure and Confidentiality

Publication Date: January 1990

Publisher: Conference of Jewish Communal Service (U.S.)

Author(s): Gerald A. Teller

Research Area: Culture and religion; Law and ethics; Media, telecommunications, and information

Keywords: Jewish Text; Jewish Law; Community Relations

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

The Jewish view of issues of public disclosure and confidentiality is very different from that of the American legal system because it is based on different assumptions. This article clarifies the Jewish view of the public's right to know in three areas: the confidentiality of court decisions; censorship; and evaluation, libel, and gossip. In developing their policies on confidentiality, Jewish communal agencies should be guided by Jewish sources.