The New York Times is not exactly a fair and accurate source of information these days when it comes to reporting about Israel, and several of their op-ed writers often use their columns to criticize Israel. However, there is one bright spot on the editorial staff—and his name is Bret Stephens.
When I heard that Stephens was going to speak locally in Greenwich, Connecticut, about the state of journalism, democracy and antisemitism in America, I immediately bought tickets to hear what this thoughtful journalist had to say.
I was not disappointed.
Stephens began his talk by focusing on journalism. He said that as a youngster growing up in Mexico City, he worshipped American journalism. He found that the American newspapers were generally very objective, and they shed light on any and all subjects without fear or favor. “This is what journalism should be about,” he said.
He met Murray Kempton, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, when he first entered the field, who taught him that journalism can combine a healthy skepticism with warmth and conviction, which has become his own mantra for what a good journalist should be.
Later, when he became editor of The Jerusalem Post, he was faced with reporting about the Intifada, and he soon learned that the Western media was not at all objective or transparent. “It sought to create a false sense of balance and a false narrative that simply did not exist,” said Stephens.
He also emphasized that it was impossible to honestly and fairly report the news from the Palestinian Authority or Hamas in an objective manner, as these organizations were authoritarian organizations.
Stephens quickly realized something was profoundly wrong with international journalism … and he soon saw it spread to national journalism, too. “Too much of our media have the same political and ideological beliefs to report the news fairly.”
Stephens then turned to the state of democracy in America, specifically as it interacts with journalism.
“We are pervasively misinformed,” he said. “Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously stated that everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but not his or her own facts. The problem is that people don’t trust the news anymore. In the movie “Dr. Strangelove,” there is a scene with the Russian ambassador and the United States president where they are discussing a doomsday machine, and when the U.S. president claims that this story is preposterous, the Russian ambassador says that his source was The New York Times. That ends the conversation. Today you could not say that line, as the response would simply be, ‘Fake news!’”
Stephens believes that trust in democracy crumbles when people think they can only trust their own facts. And when you see the collapse of authoritative sources of information, trust in democracy collapses more. It also creates an opening for conspiracy theories and the belief in demagogues.
“When you read the words ‘many people say’ in an article, it leads to many people believing it, regardless of whether it is true or not,” said Stephens.
In the old form of democracy, he said, fringe politics bent to the center. Today the center is bending to the fringes.
Stephens believes that the software of democracy requires the habits of a free mind, and unfortunately, he thinks that we are not producing individuals who can hear arguments from the other side. “You cannot have a political discussion today when you believe the other person with a differing opinion is your enemy.”
Sixty years ago, said Stephens, your parents would cringe if you told them you were marrying a person from another race or religion. Today, what’s considered worse is if a Democrat marries a Republican.
Stephens then turned to the scourge of antisemitism in America, and he quoted a shocking statistic: In 2014 there were a total of 900 antisemitic incidents in the United States, and in 2024 there were more than 10,000 incidents.
The journalist feels that the erosion of democratic norms creates a rise in antisemitism because antisemitism ultimately is based on a conspiracy theory … and people who believe in conspiracy theories will ultimately believe in all kinds of terrible things about Jews.
Stephens feels that while legislation against antisemitism is important, the best answer to combating Jew-hatred is what has worked for the Jewish people historically. “When we found that institutions shunned us, we created new institutions in which we thrived—law firms, banks, Hollywood. We can and should be doing the same thing today. Bari Weiss created the Free Press, and it is now thriving. We need to find new ways to educate our children in academia. We need to create new literary awards and new media that serve democracy. We need to take bigger risks in philanthropy that better reflect our vision for the future. This has been, and will be, the Jewish story forever.”
As poisoned as our democracy is, and as rampant as antisemitism has become, Stephens still feels somewhat positive about the future. “Every 40 to 50 years in America, there has been a major crisis, but we have always managed to come out of it,” he said. “We need to focus on our strengths. It’s a bit perverse, but the antisemites remind us of who we are as Jews and what we need to do as Jews. The correct response to antisemitism is Jewish pride and Jewish knowledge. Our ancestors persisted in the face of prejudice. If we as Americans can stay true to the values of democracy and as Jews stay true to our heritage, I believe we are going to be OK.”
Michael Feldstein, who lives in Stamford, Connecticut, is the author of “Meet Me in the Middle” (meet-me-in-the-middle-book.com), a collection of essays on contemporary Jewish life. He can be reached at [email protected].
