This is the debut of the New Jersey History and Heritage Spotlight, a new Insider NJ publication dedicated to New Jerseyans of all political affiliations and backgrounds. At a time when our country, but also our state, is intensely polarized, it is the opinion of this writer that one can easily become dismayed, wondering at the strength of the fabric of our society. With a 24-hour news cycle, and a media apparatus which is compelled to hold the attention of viewers and readers in order to be profitable, sometimes things can just seem bleak. And some things well and truly are bleak, and we forget about the countless non-newsworthy acts of kindness and constructive endeavors that hold the aforementioned fabric of our society together despite it all. The proliferation of social media has led to the general democratization of media content, and as a result, the saturation of “information” (and, unfortunately, both malicious and unintended misinformation) is all but inescapable. With the reality an increasingly anxious, smartphone-addicted population finds itself in, it becomes more and more incumbent on individuals to be able to discern fact from fiction, truth from myth—or its snickering cousin: propaganda. Responsible and ethical journalists are and ought to be the stewards of the truth—“just the facts”—but with countless, often conflicting voices bombarding people through their screens, credibility often comes into question with doubts eroding what was once unquestionably understood as legitimate and reliable…

Download Insider NJ’s New Jersey History and Heritage Spotlight 2024 Publication or view it below: