How We Escaped Iran's Rain of Hell
My time in Tel Aviv, and the massive holes in media coverage of this historic turn
Now I can tell you.
Tel Aviv should never be a city one needs to escape. It’s an incredible achievement, an oasis of openness and modernity. A sign of what democracy, freedom, education, science, strength and resilience can offer.
But since I spoke with you all last week, I have been living through history, hiding in bomb shelters with some of the most fantastic people I've ever known and worked with. As missiles exploded, I saw firsthand how reality can be so different from what the media portrays.
Once we got to safety, I banged out this new episode of They Stand Corrected for you.
I take you through our trek, which included a crossing point that’s usually off limits and a late night takeoff into airspace within Iran’s reach. I also dig into crucial facts and context missing from the big media, including:
why “mutually assured destruction” does not work as a deterrent for Iran
the perils of a “failure of imagination”
how a key international agency is more like a useless finger wagger
the “wild card” of the Iranian public, and how my coverage of an uprising ended up in a PBS documentary
how Israelis across the political spectrum recognize the existential threat
and more. Plus, I explain how the U.S. media’s myopic obsession with domestic politics and refusal to stop and think led it to carry a nonsensical “runaway angle”; how the attention economy can endanger people; and why the pride flags filling Tel Aviv are so significant.
Also, how being abroad helped me see the ways news algorithms feed Americans different realities no matter where they are.
So much to tell you all in the coming days. I’ll follow up with links, images, videos, and more. For now, know that from everything I’ve seen, the media has missed the scope and significance of what just happened — not just in the region, but in the world.
Prayers for the safety of everyone in harm’s way in Israel and elsewhere fighting for democracy.
Big love,
JL
P.S. What did I miss stateside? Share your thoughts on media coverage, including of events in California, by messaging me here or in the comments.
