Saturday, July 20, 2013

Say Hello to "News and Views from Jews Down Under"

Mike L.

I am exceedingly happy to announce the launch of a brand-spanking new on-line Jewish news magazine from Australia, published by none other than our friend Shirlee Finn, entitled News and Views from Jews Down Under.

What is News and Views about?  Shirlee writes:
We are sick and tired of left-leaning media, leftists and others who trump up issues about the Jewish Community, Jews and Israel, with little or no regard for facts or truth, and whose blind followers lambaste anyone who dares challenge them.  
This forum seeks to set the record straight, to facilitate open and genuine dialogue on issues that are important to Australian Jews, both within Australia and Israel.  
We see this as somewhere to be able to air views and to ask the hard questions which cannot be done elsewhere and which may at times touch a few nerves.
News and Views is a fledgling operation, but it is precisely the kind of fledgling operation that we should support.  People often wonder if engagement in social media advocacy is actually helpful.  I have very often wondered that myself.

Nonetheless, social media influenced my understanding of how others view the Arab-Israel conflict and that is important to know if you care about the issue.  I never realized the degree of malice coming out of certain quarters of the political landscape until I saw it emerging in poisonous ways from the grassroots / netroots.

The recognition of that bias and malice and what Boston University historian, Richard Landes, calls Lethal Journalism in turn effected my own views of the conflict.

I want to encourage you guys to check out News and Views, which is at the beginning of a work-in-progress.  If any of you folks would like to write for the magazine the editors can be reached at jewsdownunder@gmail.com.

We need to help one another when we can and if we can.

Good luck to Shirlee, David, and News and Views!

{Added to the blogroll, by the way.}

7 comments:

  1. Thanks Mike

    Wow! Let's hope we can keep up with your wonderful promo

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  2. This, precisely, Mike -

    "I never realized the degree of malice coming out of certain quarters of the political landscape until I saw it emerging in poisonous ways from the grassroots / netroots."

    I've learned so much I didn't know (and still wish I didn't know, but that horse ain't ever goin' back into the barn) over the past few years, that even though I realized very recently that 'The Fun' is currently gone from blogging as I see it, I'm still gonna stick around. Because I feel I have to now.

    I'll make my own fun where possible (heh), and step back for a bit when necessary. Largely disappearing between September and March should help recharge the batteries for at least a few more years, anyway!

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  3. Replies
    1. Thanks, it is doing amazingly well and I think Mike has a good deal to do with it too.

      We also have a Facebook Page and Twitter.!! Don't go there.
      Under sufferance I said to David I would look after FB, but Twitter is his babay

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  4. Congratulations. The blog looks really nice :)

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    Replies
    1. Thankyou.

      https://www.facebook.com/JewsDownUnder?notif_t=page_new_likes

      The logo is unfinished as yet

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