In our day and age, many news agencies, newspapers, and websites have forgotten their role as the guardians of democracy. Closely cooperating with politicians, they have ceased being the "fourth power" and instead, have become public opinion shapers. The mass media floods readers with an avalanche of information, skillfully manipulating people's feelings and hopes. It is no secret that many newspapers and even televised news programs have their own agendas to promote, utterly abandoning their professional duty.

Election campaign reels are filmed under the guise of movies. Cunningly playing on human weaknesses, the owners of many media corporations blacken the names of public figures and politicians they object to. Victims are portrayed as predators, evildoers as lambs, and murderers and terrorists become "freedom fighters," while the enemies of democracy and human rights are intrepid heroes.

Dishonest, propagandist clips are filmed under the pretense of news. All of us remember the shocking images of the slain Palestinian boy Muhammad al-Dura, which were used to slander and disgrace the Israel Defense Forces. Later, it turned out that the boy had been shot by Arab terrorists and that the poor child had been sacrificed for anti-Israeli propaganda, but the damage had been done. Once again, the biased media had chosen to advance their own goals, forgetting objectivity and integrity.

It is easy to lose oneself in this sea of information, which is all too often fictitious or subsidized. When black is portrayed as white, and good as evil, courage and astuteness are required to not fall for the image makers' line. When readers' minds are clogged with gossip, dirt, cheap scandals, and lies, people aspiring to remain sober-minded seek out a source of untainted, honest, and objective information.

I welcome you to the Jerusalem News Agency website. Here, you will find the most intriguing and important news, fascinating and informative correspondents' reports, and articles about science, culture, and life in the Holy Land. Top journalists and experts will bring you their comments on events in Israel and the Middle East. Specialists on the Middle East, historians, and archeologists will acquaint you with the holy places, recount the history of this land G-d has chosen, and guide you along the enigmatic paths trodden by the judges, prophets, and kings of Israel.

On behalf of the agency, I am authorized to say that we will not publish unverified reports, anti-Israeli propaganda, or second-rate tabloid sensations. Our team is comprised of professionals of the highest class: leading Israeli experts, reporters, correspondents, and commentators who still remember the importance of objectivity and integrity. We promise you a selection of premier quality materials; now and always, this will be our agency's creed!

In addition, we want to hear the public's voice and invite you to express your opinions, comment on current events from your standpoint, and write reviews of our authors' articles. It is possible you will not always share our journalists and experts' perspectives, but we believe that any judicious opinion should be heard and will publish the best letters sent in by our readers.

Welcome to the Jerusalem News Agency.