On Giving Tuesday, Take a Stand For a Gutsy Jewish Publication
Samuel Norich November 29, 2016
Dear Forward Reader:
We’re no strangers to criticism. Our independent journalism is often provocative — as good journalism should be. And for 120 years, our readers have never been shy about telling us what they think.
We can take the heat. In fact, we welcome it. Respectful, lively debate is a quintessentially Jewish tradition—one that the Forward cultivates and even celebrates.
But the attacks we’ve received lately are anything but respectful.
Breitbart, the media outlet of the so-called “Alt-Right,” has recently singled out the Forward for special condemnation. In an effort to undermine our legitimacy, we were accused of running a “smear campaign” against the president-elect to further our “socialist agenda.”
We’ve done no such thing, as our fearless editor-in-chief, Jane Eisner, known for her sharp pen and her backbone, wrote in her point-by-point rebuttal. We are journalists. We publish well-sourced stories, supported by facts. We do not “smear.” We never endorse candidates. And our “agenda” is to report the news and seek out truth.
It gets worse. Forward journalists have also received hundreds of anti-Semitic tweets, emails and phone calls—even letters at their home addresses—containing the most vile and offensive Holocaust imagery imaginable. We’ve informed the police, and we’ve tightened our security procedures.
But we won’t be intimidated by threats or by hate. In fact, we’ve never been more determined to continue publishing journalism that meets the highest standards of the profession, grounded in facts, without fear or favor.
Giving Tuesday is on November 29, so if you’ve been waiting for the right moment to support the Forward’s mission with a financial contribution, this is it.
Take a stand for a gutsy Jewish publication by making a generous gift to the Forward. Please know how grateful we are. Your vote of confidence inspires us to work harder than ever to bring you the best reporting and the most intelligent analysis of the issues our community cares about most.
Give Now
Sincerely yours,
Samuel Norich President, Forward Association
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
