Thursday, November 29, 2012

Brief Notes: The Jerusalem Post is a Mess

Mike L.



Among the newspapers that I consult regularly on Israel-related news none are so messed up, from a readability standpoint, as is the Jerusalem Post.  The Jerusalem Post is a mess.  It's almost as bad as the Huffington Post.

I'm not referring, here, to content, but to all the noise throughout its on-line presence; all the pop-ups and extraneous bullshit and advertising.  Not only is the Jerusalem Post one of the ugliest newspapers that I have ever read, but it is also one of the slowest and hardest to engage with.

When it comes to Israeli news sources I look mainly to Y-Net, the Times of Israel, the Jerusalem Post, and less and less frequently, Ha'aretz.  In fact, Ha'aretz I've basically cut out from my regular reading because any journal that publishes the likes of Gideon Levy or Amira Hass cannot be taken seriously as pro-Israel or pro-Jewish.  Also, of course, Ha'aretz does not really represent an Israeli perspective because it is not written for Israelis.  It is written for the western intelligentsia.

The Times of Israel is, naturally, my favorite of these publications in part because I blog there, but also because it has the freshest look  and quickest downloads and has embraced new media in a way that these others have not.   Nonetheless, the Jerusalem Post has more gravitas.

I just wish to G-d that they would clean up the code on that site.  It's just awful.  It looks terrible and they throw so much garbage into your face that you spend half your time simply deleting various pop-ups and other intrusive material.

Will somebody kindly let them know this?  David Horovitz (not to be confused with David Horowitz) is the editor-in-chief of the Times of Israel and was, until fairly recently, a primary editor at the J Post.  He seems to have figured a few things out because the TOI does not suffer this same hideous malady.

Just sayin.'

In any case, where do you guys get your Israel-related news and opinions from?

Suggestions are welcome.

And to what extent are we intimidated into avoiding certain sources out of fear of the disapproval of others?

That's an interesting question, if you ask me.

The wielding of social intimidation, threats (violent or otherwise), and shunning in political discourse is just the kind of meta-question that perhaps we should discuss.

3 comments:

  1. Experienced it awhile ago with JP. When directed there, I just go to print view immediately, then delete the other tab.

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  2. I get mine from everywhere I can. How else can one know the variety of info needed to make informed choices? IE. I hate the Antisemitic jerk the Angry Arab BUT check his blog regularly to keep my eye on the "pulse." of all the various angry arabs and angry progressives/haters he attracts.

    It's all about that "pulse."

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  3. Great tip, School. I did that a couple times last night, and it works beautifully. To be honest, I had reached the point where I'd mouse over a link, and if it was to JPost, I'd just skip it. That site really is one of the ugliest I've ever come across. It would have even looked horrible twelve years ago, let alone today. A shame, really.

    And yeah, what Doodad said. YNet is where I head most often, but I go everywhere, and also try to keep an eye on what the antisemites are up to, as well.

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