Over the past month and a half, I have walked streets most of us know either through lived experience or through news headlines. I stood in places where cameras gather and the language of crisis is part of the daily vocabulary.
These were not abstract datelines scrolling across a screen. They were living communities, where global tensions are woven into ordinary life.
My travels took me to the Middle East, Washington, D.C., the broader DMV, South Florida and of course, Baltimore. In each place, I sat with shopkeepers, students, parents, clergy and civic leaders and asked how they see the present and future.
Our conversations spanned the issues that fill our feeds: Israel and Iran, Gaza and Hamas, immigration and ICE, tariffs, Venezuela and Haiti, antisemitism and racism, war and peace. What struck me most was the distance between the lived narratives I encountered and the 99 percent
of “coverage” saturating our online world.
The people I met were thoughtful. Nuanced. Often conflicted. They held multiple truths at once. They criticized their leaders while remaining fiercely loyal to their communities. They worried about the future yet spoke with stubborn hope. Many expressed frustration that their stories were reduced to caricatures stripped of complexity and flattened into talking points serving someone else’s agenda.
Yet when we scroll our phones, complexity is scarce. Certainty dominates. Simplicity sells. Emotionally charged content is amplified because it captures attention.
Online news is immediate and frictionless. But that convenience carries serious risks. The more provocative the content, the more likely we are to see it, share it and internalize it. Over time, this builds allegiance — to ideas, organizations and personalities we have never fully examined. When those ideas are placed under the lens of our own values, they may conflict with who we profess to be.
Those who gather most — or all — of their news through social media should heed a simple warning: Buyer beware.
We consider ourselves fair-minded, compassionate, committed to justice and human dignity.
But if our information diet is narrow or manipulated, we may find ourselves defending rhetoric that dehumanizes, excusing policies we do not understand, or amplifying narratives that obscure more than reveal.
The remedy is not cynicism. It is discernment. We must be intentional about the sources we embrace as truth so that we recognize lives may depend on it.
In Baltimore and Central Maryland, I am proud to serve as Chair of the Board of Jmore Media, a nonprofit dedicated to serving our Jewish community. At its core, Jmore is about facts, ideas and connection, telling our stories with depth, context and integrity.
Jmore should not be your only news source. But I do believe that those who care about our Jewish present and future should make it a staple in their information diet.
At its best, media should educate, challenge and inspire. It should reflect a community honestly — celebrating milestones, examining disagreements respectfully and confronting challenges directly. It should strengthen understanding rather than inflame division.
Jmore strives to do exactly that. It is independent, mission-driven and accountable to the community it serves — not to distant shareholders or opaque algorithms.
Imagine for a moment that Jmore did not exist. In a vibrant Jewish community like ours, there would rightly be an outcry to create such a platform. A place to celebrate achievements, explore tensions honestly and envision our future together.
The fact is, we already have it. But community assets endure only when communities invest in them.
I encourage you to read and engage with Jmore, in print and online. Share the articles that move you. Respond to the pieces that challenge you. And consider making an annual tax-deductible contribution to ensure this vital platform continues to serve our community.
Responsible journalism is not a luxury. It is a pillar of communal health and democratic life. Let us be as intentional about our information sources as we are about the values we claim to uphold.
Support Jmore today. The Board and the talented staff thank you for your engagement, your partnership, and your commitment to our shared future.
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