Is Anti-Semitism ‘Cost of Doing Business’ for Reporters in Trump Era?
Gray Lady Guy: Glenn Thrush with his wife, Diane Webber. Image by Courtesy of Diane Webber
By Dave Goldiner December 13, 2016
Glenn Thrush is moving to The New York Times — and the crackerjack journalist insists the anti-Semitic abuse his wife bared in the Forward won’t stop him from covering Donald Trump’s White House fairly.
Thrush, who signed on with the Gray Lady after eight years at Politico, was one of many reporters who suffered vicious online abuse at the hands of white supremacists and members of the so-called “alt-right” after he penned critical articles about Trump.
His wife, Diane Webber, even opened up about the impact of the screeds in a moving Forward opinion piece entitled “When Your Husband Gets Called a ‘Filthy Kike’ On Twitter.”
But Thrush told the Washington Post that he wouldn’t hold a grudge against Team Trump because of his personal experiences covering the bruising campaign.
“No, not at all,” Thrush told the Post. “To me, it’s the cost of doing business in today’s environment.”
Among other journalists targeted by anti-Semites were Julia Ioffe, who wrote a profile of Melania Trump, and Bill Kristol, the neo-conservative editor branded a “renegade Jew.” Forward columnist Bethany Mandel was so rattled by the abuse that she got a gun to protect herself.
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.
, editor-in-chiefSupport our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
