Perhaps you should cancel your subscription to the AJW. It has come to my attention that some readers can no longer tolerate the “extreme liberal slant” of the newspaper over the “past several months.” This view comes courtesy of a former subscriber in Plymouth, who recently decided not to renew his “membership,” because the paper had become “a forum for M. Spector’s (sic) views.”
In addition to no longer receiving the weekly newspaper, the former “member” from Plymouth will no longer be able to use the AJW’s sauna and steam room.
Seriously, if you’re going to be in the newspaper business, you should have a tough hide. Editors are on the receiving end of both bouquets and brickbats, figuratively speaking. But the plaudits are coming more frequently than the raspberries, so to speak. Hardly a day goes by when a caller or an office visitor doesn’t comment on the marked improvement in the newspaper’s quality of late.
Now, I don’t want to strain my shoulder by too vigorously patting my own back, but we are trying to publish a product that merits your attention. We’re all working hard for your benefit.
And this part of the newspaper will continue to be a forum for the views of the editor and publisher. As it turns out, I do have some opinions on issues of the day and I’m willing to share them with the AJW readers. I’m also quite ready to publish the views of those who gainsay my conclusions. For example, when I expressed profound misgivings recently about Israel’s war in Gaza, we published a number of letters expressing contrary views. The newspaper continues to be open to a variety of voices from our community and beyond. Some readers might decide that our slant is too liberal, or too this or too that; but we are trying to present a variety of news sources and views so that our readers can form a nuanced view of current affairs.
Also, I want to remind readers that our weekly print edition is updated on our new Web site: www.ajwnews.com. The Web site, which had its debut last November, includes some content from the newspaper, and allows us to update stories and report breaking news. It seems that epochal events often happen just as we go to press on Tuesdays; this week, Israelis are going to the polls, and we have published the provisional news that Tzipi Livni’s Kadima Party has taken the lead in Knesset seats, according to exit poll reports. However, it is not certain that she will be able to form a governing coalition. Please look at our Web site for more definitive reports and analysis.
Again, we are committed to providing our readers with an entertaining and edifying newspaper. In these uncertain economic times we will try to maintain the quality of the product. We appreciate our loyal subscribers and readers. Please let us know what we can do to improve the American Jewish World.
— Mordecai Specktor
editor@ajwnews.com
