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Forum
-> Interesting Discussions
Isramom8
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 Thu, Dec 18 2008, 2:17 am
JO is probably staying the same as it was, and promoting the same hashkafos it always did. The thing is, today we are exposed to more. Maybe what you're saying is that JO doesn't seem to be keeping up with the times and awareness reality of many frum people.
Same problem with my daughters in their frummie Israeli Bais Yaakov high school.
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Aidelmom
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Thu, Dec 18 2008, 4:56 am
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Interesting topic. I really enjoyed reading the old Jewish Observers. It gave me a sense of history.and was entertainin. I especially liked the letters to the editor. I haven't read the later ones so I can't comment.
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ss321
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Thu, Dec 18 2008, 6:21 am
Fox, I have noticed the same thing. I remember reading the JO when I was in HS and it was an OK magazine. now, you are right. they try to "bring to light" these "controversial" issues without chas veshalom stepping on any toes, raising any eyebrows etc. You cant walk both sides of the fence like that. Its like this group of yeshivishe guys in an office somewhere trying to pull off some pseudointellectual stunt, and I dont know exactly who they are catering to anymore.
| Imaonwheels wrote: |
And last but not least, their reporting on EY infuriates me. It is obvious that in most cases Mr. Heimishe Reporter picks up the phone to someone who thinks just like him in Bnai Brak or Yerushalayim and ask vos iz nayez? That is what he prints and that is what the frum public in the US thinks is true. Then on a forum people in NY fight with me that what is here is not true because the latest popular rabbi writer says otherwise.
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100% the case!! I am laughing out loud.
| Imaonwheels wrote: |
I almost never read the Nashie because I feel it is also trying to be cool, from the NY style graphics to the need to be in the forefront of every new fad in the natural movement. All at the expense of chassidishe tochen. As I said in another thread I do not read any publication where women are the targeet audience, they insult me. |
Agreed. the fancy graphics, recipes, articles that are usually poorly researched and with mediocre writing at best....I really agree 100% with u on this
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Raisin
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Thu, Dec 18 2008, 6:44 am
Also, I used to subscribe to mishpacha. I enjoyed ther articles, but when one day they did an article about the jewish community in the country where I live, I was appalled at the bad job they did. They seemed to have spoken to exactly one person for about 5 minutes. Anyone reading that article would get a completely false picture of the city. It's as if someone wrote about the lifestyle of Jews in williamsburg and said this is how all Jews in NY live. Whats worse is that Mishpacha claim to be cross community - representing chassidim, yeshivish etc
it seems these magazines have a pretty low budget for reporters and writers. my friend writes childrens stories and is payed something like $25 a story. I pay my babysitter more then that!
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ss321
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Thu, Dec 18 2008, 7:23 am
| bashinda wrote: | | What is Nashie? |
I think maybe she meant Neshai/Nesh'ei, something like that, but maybe im wrong?
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sarahd
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Thu, Dec 18 2008, 2:17 pm
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IOW, what you wrote fits other mags, maybe, but not JO. It's not supposed to cater to the hoi polloi. It always presented itself as more high-brow than the other stuff, and 20-30 years ago it was, but lately it's gone down the drain in a major way. I subscribed for two years, but didn't renew - not worth the money. My parents saved every issue they got, but nothing I got seemed worth saving - nothing I'd want to read 10 years from now.
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chavamom
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Thu, Dec 18 2008, 2:59 pm
| sarahd wrote: | | IOW, what you wrote fits other mags, maybe, but not JO. It's not supposed to cater to the hoi polloi. It always presented itself as more high-brow than the other stuff, and 20-30 years ago it was, but lately it's gone down the drain in a major way. I subscribed for two years, but didn't renew - not worth the money. My parents saved every issue they got, but nothing I got seemed worth saving - nothing I'd want to read 10 years from now. |
I've been waiting for you to check in with your POV. I figured you would be an accurate assessment. So it's not just Fox and me feeling this way.
FWIW - Misgav Ledach Hospital had a collection of old JO's dating back to the early 80's. I think I read every one of them when I was hospitalized there for a week in the mid 90's. From the little I've seen of the JO in the past few years, there not much I want to read TODAY much less years from now.
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bashinda
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Thu, Dec 18 2008, 8:23 pm
| ss321 wrote: | | bashinda wrote: | | What is Nashie? |
I think maybe she meant Neshai/Nesh'ei, something like that, but maybe im wrong? |
is this true imaonwheels? Sorry. I wasn't thinking N'shei I was thinking Nashie as in rhyming with Mashie. I like reading about people's lives although it always seems like I'm only finding about someone amazing after their passing. I mean it makes sense. Anava is a good thing, of course.
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queen
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Thu, Dec 18 2008, 9:36 pm
The last few years have been a lot of recaps about Agudah conventions and repeat topic articles. Not exciting enough to warrant my reading. I think I heard through the grape vine that their readership went down number wise. Do they correlate that with anything????? 
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bnm
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Thu, Dec 18 2008, 11:23 pm
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I deal with the Agudah sometimes through my work, they sometimes get on my nerves with all their precautions about not stepping on peoples toes and not getting involved in community politics.
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OldYoung
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Thu, Dec 18 2008, 11:47 pm
I don't really read JO, but my parents get it. I remember that they used to be excited when it came in the mail- now it's no big deal, almost like any other circular... the only time they comment on the content is if my grandfather writes an article... 
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Isramom8
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Fri, Dec 19 2008, 1:18 am
| Imaonwheels wrote: | | wow, I get $100-125. |
With which publication?
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Isramom8
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Fri, Dec 19 2008, 1:19 am
| OldYoung wrote: | | I don't really read JO, but my parents get it. I remember that they used to be excited when it came in the mail- now it's no big deal, almost like any other circular... the only time they comment on the content is if my grandfather writes an article... |
Oooh, who is your grandfather?
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Isramom8
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Fri, Dec 19 2008, 1:23 am
| sarahd wrote: | | It always presented itself as more high-brow than the other stuff, and 20-30 years ago it was |
The really old issues are amazing. I read one that so clearly defined Agudah's hashkafa as opposed to MO, using old sources and explaining a lot of what went on in previous decades.
Also, JO dealt with kids with special needs long before it was popular to do so. They opposed the idea of keeping things quiet because of shidduchim! Like around 1980.
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amother
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Fri, Dec 19 2008, 1:27 am
| Raisin wrote: | | it seems these magazines have a pretty low budget for reporters and writers. my friend writes childrens stories and is payed something like $25 a story. I pay my babysitter more then that! |
And that's the real issue.
Magazines and newspapers can pay a writer for a week of work as he interviews dozens of community figures to talk about a certain issue, visits different cities, spends time digging through police reports or old hospital records or whatever, and finally writes a comprehensive, interesting story. Or they can pay the same writer for two hours of work in which he calls a single source and then throws something together.
The second method doesn't lose them many readers. And even if it does, there's more profit in having 70% of the readers and 15% of the working hours than in keeping to higher standards.
I'm a writer and I would absolutely love to do more hard-hitting reporting, spend more time "on the ground"--but it's just not worth it to the publication and I can see why. Readers might appreciate a well-researched article, but they're not about to come knocking on the door with donations.
I'm not saying it's all about profit, I've found most news staff are pretty idealistic. But there's only so much you can do on a limited budget, and you have to decide between depth of coverage and breadth of coverage. Most readers, even if they say they want the first, will choose the second 9 times out of 10. So unless you want your publication to be replaced by someone else who will always get the story first (and if there's no time to check it out before publishing--oh well), you do what you have to do even if it means less quality reporting.
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Fox
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Fri, Dec 19 2008, 11:56 am
I think we're mixing up different types of publications and writing. The Jewish Observer is not a news vehicle like the Yated Ne'eman or Hamodia. Nor is it a "features" magazine like Mishpacha. The articles are not based on investigative reporting by professional writers.
At its peak, most articles were edited versions of speeches given by gedolim on issues affecting Jew contemporary life or articles by Torah-observant experts in particular disciplines. I'm not sure the problem is the writing, per se, but rather the choice of topics and the editing.
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chavamom
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Fri, Dec 19 2008, 2:05 pm
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Yiridas hadoros on the part of our leaders?
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carrot
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Fri, Dec 19 2008, 2:23 pm
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We are all online, getting our writing and reading kicks here. Maybe the era of the printed word is just over.
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