Conversation about the media narratives that have shaped, and often distorted, the global understanding of Israel.
A former Associated Press correspondent in Jerusalem and a longtime contributor to the New York Times, The Atlantic, and the Free Press, Friedman has built a reputation for clarity in moments of confusion and for resisting the easy narratives that so often dominate coverage of Israel. Born in Canada and having made Aliyah at 17, he occupies a rare vantage point, both fully Israeli and slightly apart. It is precisely this dual perspective that lends his work its depth, skepticism, and moral precision.
The conversation moves between biography and history, journalism and memory. What does it mean to choose Israel rather than be born into it? How does one write honestly about a society one loves? And what responsibilities does a journalist carry when covering a country so burdened by myth, projection, and misunderstanding?
They also discuss his forthcoming book, Out of the Sky, and the enduring challenge of telling Jewish and Israeli stories in a world eager for simplification.
Conversation about the media narratives that have shaped, and often distorted, the global understanding of Israel.
A former Associated Press correspondent in Jerusalem and a longtime contributor to the New York Times, The Atlantic, and the Free Press, Friedman has built a reputation for clarity in moments of confusion and for resisting the easy narratives that so often dominate coverage of Israel. Born in Canada and having made Aliyah at 17, he occupies a rare vantage point, both fully Israeli and slightly apart. It is precisely this dual perspective that lends his work its depth, skepticism, and moral precision.
The conversation moves between biography and history, journalism and memory. What does it mean to choose Israel rather than be born into it? How does one write honestly about a society one loves? And what responsibilities does a journalist carry when covering a country so burdened by myth, projection, and misunderstanding?
They also discuss his forthcoming book, Out of the Sky, and the enduring challenge of telling Jewish and Israeli stories in a world eager for simplification.
