Take Action: Write or call your local media outlet
Urge coverage of antisemitic attacks in the U.S.
Antisemitism is here in the United States, it is on the rise, and Jews are scared. Although media attention for this alarming wave of antisemitic incidents has grown, coverage is still insufficient and awareness about the violent nature of these attacks is too low.
According to AJC’s Antisemitism in America Report, 46% of Americans are unfamiliar with the term antisemitism and 53% either believe antisemitism has stayed the same or decreased over the past five years, which is the opposite of what is happening.
To encourage media outlets to fairly and sufficiently address the recent spike in antisemitic violence, please:
- CALL OR EMAIL YOUR LOCAL NEWS OUTLETS: Contact your local newspaper, television station, radio network, or news website and urge them to increase coverage of antisemitic incidents and inform their audiences of these alarming trends in a fair and unbiased manner. (Sample language below.)
- USE SOCIAL MEDIA AS A TOOL: Tweet and post on social media about growing antisemitism in the United States and tag your local news outlets and elected officials. Use the #WheresTheOutrage hashtag and graphic to amplify your message.
Dear news media outlet,
There is currently a surge in violent antisemitism in the streets of New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, south Florida, and other major U.S. cities and areas, in addition to many European and Latin American capitals. These incidents are on top of an already disproportionate amount of hate crimes against Jews. According to the FBI’s latest statistics, anti-Jewish hate crimes accounted for 60.2% of all hate crimes motivated by religion, a shocking number for a group that accounts for 2% of the U.S. population.
During these dangerous and trying times the Jewish community demands fair and unbiased coverage of antisemitic incidents in our community and around the country. All forms of hate and bigotry are unacceptable and deserve the same coverage from our trusted news media. Please report on these alarming incidents just as we encourage you to report on all acts of hate.
We call your attention to these resources:
- AJC’s The State of Antisemitism in America report of Jewish American opinions and perceptions about antisemitism, as well as the U.S. general public’s views
- AJC’s Translate Hate glossary, an interactive list of antisemtic terms and tropes, designed to be a tool to help recognize the many forms of antisemitism that exist in our country and around the world
- AJC experts available for interviews
- The Paley Center for Media on “The Media's Role in Identifying, Explaining, and Combating Antisemitism”