Annual Report 2019
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COURAGE 2019 ANNUAL REPORT INTEGRITY ACCOUNTABILITY YIDDISHKEIT INDEPENDENCE Living Our Values Reporting with integrity and reveling in Jewish culture Living Our Values 2019 ANNUAL REPORT 2 Message from our CEO & Publisher, and Board Chair Dear Friends, As The Forward concluded the decade, we are in- Throughout the year, our courageous and informa- Lastly, 2019 brought a carefully planned board credibly proud of our significant impact on the Jew- tive stories captivated readers all over the world. As leadership transition. After 10 years under Jake Mo- ish community–and our hard work to reinvent this in previous years, we received recognition for our rowitz’s steady leadership, we are pleased to have storied publication into a modern digital news outlet. excellent reporting, garnering 15 Simon Rockower elected a new board chair, Alan Silberstein, whose This past year, our investigative reporting, innovative Awards—the Pulitzer Prize of Jewish journalism. We commitment and wisdom will be an incredible asset storytelling and sharp cultural coverage in English engaged millions of people digitally, and in person– to begin this new decade. and Yiddish reached millions of readers, a third of our editors and leadership spoke all over the world whom are 35 and under. sharing insights and moderating civil discourse on Through increased clarity of vision, focus on essen- challenging issues. tial work and external support, we enter 2020 surer After several years moving in this direction, 2019 was than ever in our history and our commitment to the year when The Forward pivoted to a fully digital We were beyond thrilled to bring on Jodi Rudoren as continue being the most significant Jewish voice in organization, on the path to sustainability. To do this editor-in-chief. In just her first few months on the American journalism. required vision, courage, and difficult decisions–and job, Jodi was invited to speak at the American Jewish yet, 2019 was also the year that our commitment to Committee’s Board of Governors meeting, the An- Thank you and zayt gezunt, this strategic direction started paying substantial ti-Defamation League’s Never is Now conference, J Rachel & Alan dividends. Street’s national conference, as well as more intimate events, like a conversation with A.G. Sulzberger, The first was receiving our largest donation in the publisher of The New York Times, at Park Avenue history of The Forward, from the Craig Newmark Synagogue. Philanthropic Fund, in support of our digital transfor- mation. His belief in The Forward’s future galvanized In order to build a strong foundation for our reinven- additional contributors, and our fundraising revenue tion, we engaged staff and lay leaders in a collabo- increased by more than 36% in 2019 from 2018. rative process to reaffirm our mission and create a vision statement and company values to guide us through this new era. Rachel Fishman Feddersen Alan Silberstein CEO & Publisher Board Chair 2019 Living Our Values 2019 ANNUAL REPORT 3 Craig Newmark’s Jodi Rudoren becomes Generous Gift Editor-in-Chief In July, 2019 we were so grateful to Inspired by The Forward’s legacy and have received a $500,000 gift from motivated by this “urgent moment craigslist founder Craig Newmark, in both Judaism and journalism,” propelling our work as a leading source for Jewish news and cul- Jodi Rudoren took the helm as The Forward’s editor-in-chief ture reporting. The grant is fueling our future as a fully digital in September 2019 after more than two decades as a senior publication, enabling us to strengthen our ability to collaborate editor and digital leader at the New York Times. At The Times, with other Jewish organizations. Jodi served as Jerusalem bureau chief from 2012 through 2015, covering two Israeli elections and two wars in Gaza. She “I’m a proud supporter of fearless, independent journalism and previously covered the 2004 American presidential campaign, have been a long-time fan of The Forward,” Newmark said. “This and served as Chicago bureau chief, education correspondent 122-year-old organization is evolving for today’s readers and I and education editor, and deputy on both the Metropolitan and wanted to help strengthen their digital tools to increase reader- International desks, before joining the masthead as Associate ship among younger audiences. I’m excited to keep reading The Managing Editor for Audience Strategy. Forward for years to come.” Jodi is enthusiastic, brimming with ideas on addressing the criti- cal challenges our communities face and committed to engaging our audience in important conversations in today’s complicated and polarized digital world. We’re thrilled to have her on board. 2019 Living Our Values 2019 ANNUAL REPORT 4 Mission, Vision, Values With so much change at The Forward, Mission in the journalism landscape, and in the The Forward is the most significant Jewish voice in Independence: As a nonprofit supported by our read- American journalism. Our outstanding reporting on ers and a broad array of philanthropies, we are not Jewish world, one of the most important cultural, social and political issues inspires readers of beholden to any individual, institution or ideology. things we did in 2019 was to clarify our all ages and animates conversation across genera- We are always relevant but also irreverent, challeng- Mission, Vision and Values, which we tions and different segments of our community. Our ing conventional wisdom in respectful ways as we English and Yiddish platforms build on a century-old showcase the full spectrum of voices shaping our share with you here. It was the first legacy maintained in our archives and lead to a deep- experience. project Jodi worked on as editor-in-chief, er understanding of what it means to be Jewish in the joining an inspiring series of workshops 21st century. Accountability: Through rigorous, even-handed jour- on priorities and principles. It informs nalism, we hold leaders accountable to the people Vision and communities they serve. At the same time, we everything we do, and we hope it will The Forward envisions a vibrant, connected global believe we must continuously earn the public’s trust deepen your understanding of why our Jewish community informed by our shared history by delivering on promises, operating with empathy, brand of journalism matters so much to and committed to justice, compassion, truth and our and upholding our core values. collective responsibility to bridge our divides. the Jewish community, the American Yiddishkeit: We revel in the richness of our culture public and our precious democracy. Values and history, providing a smorgasbord of art and poli- Integrity: We provide fair and full reporting in the tics, argument and understanding. We also share our highest tradition of public-service journalism, a cor- rich Yiddish heritage, promoting it as a living treasure nerstone of resilient democracy. Through our work, for future generations. Sharing stories, in English and we help build the foundation for a just, open, pluralis- Yiddish, of the diverse ways Jews of all backgrounds— tic society. and our neighbors—live and think and celebrate and mourn enhances our human connections. Ours is a Courage: We pursue the truth wherever it takes us, particularly Jewish-American way of looking at the delivering the news, investigations, narrative story- world: contrarian, cosmopolitan, fiercely intelligent telling, and commentary that our community needs and wickedly funny. and deserves. 2019 Living Our Values ACCOUNTABILITY 2019 ANNUAL REPORT 5 By The Numbers Forward.com Yiddish Site Awards as Popular as Competitor Sites 15 1 2x Rockower Awards David Twersky (Per Alexa Rank) American Jewish Press Journalism Award Association Youtube Channel New Opinion Contributors Subscribers 34% Social 35% of our readers are under 35 Twitter Followers English & Yiddish 12% Deborah Muhammad Tema Smith Alex Zeldin Ari Hoffman Lipstadt Sheahda NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS Instagram 77% Followers DEC 2019 88,335 Buzzworthy New Newsletters DEC 13% Yiddish Facebook Partnerships 2018 78,434 6% Followers Fundraising Donations Number of 36% Donors 5% 2019 Living Our Values COURAGE 2019 ANNUAL REPORT 6 Wide Range of Opinions Leading In 2019, an intense news year in the Jewish world, we rededicated ourselves to one of The Forward’s core goals: providing a platform for civil discourse on the issues that divide our communities. Stories In this critical moment, we aim to engage a broad, diverse audience and challenge readers to think deeply about a variety The Forward is particularly proud of our outstanding of perspectives beyond their own experience by publishing a full Forward 50 2019 spectrum of sophisticated, provocative opinion pieces—reflected reporting in 2019—breaking Forward Staff below, in the variety of opinions on Bernie Sanders. news, exclusive investigative The 25th installment of The Forward’s pieces, in-depth cultural annual list of influential American Jews, for the first time, including 14 names features, and a wide range of nominated by readers. opinions across the Jewish spectrum. Of Course They’re Accusing Bernie Bernie Sanders Alliance Sanders Of Anti-Semitism– With Linda Sarsour Is An Insult Because He Supports Palestinians To Jews The Torah That Ended Up At A In Pittsburgh, Archivists Work To Peter Beinart Matthew Shultz Goodwill Doesn’t Belong To A Jew Preserve The World’s Response To Ari Feldman, Staff Writer Mass Violence I’m An Orthodox Jew. Why Is Bernie Sanders’ Oped Settles It: The bizarre story of how a mysterious Molly Boigon, Investigative Reporter Bernie Sanders Whitewashing You Can Be Both Progressive torah auctioned by Goodwill belonged to A look into how archivists in Pittsburgh Violence Against Us? And Zionist a non-Jewish retired real estate agent. are working to preserve the thousands of Eli Steinberg Abe Silberstein artifacts that collectively document the world’s response to the deadliest anti- Semitic attack in American history.