Globes Publisher: Facts Trump Opinions in Eroding Trust Era
Alona Bar-On, publisher of the Israeli business daily Globes, stated at the Globes Israel Real Estate Conference that a healthy ecosystem of community and content requires active participation and care from individuals both within and outside journalism. She highlighted the long-standing relationship between Globes and the real estate community, spanning over 40 years.
Bar-On questioned the audience about Israel's housing starts, noting that apart from a projected figure for 2025, the only other time Israel exceeded 80,000 housing starts was in 1991, a year marked by a wave of immigration. She pointed out that while the total number of starts might be similar, the geographical distribution in 1991 was vastly different, with over 34% of starts in the south compared to an estimated 16% in 2025. She suggested that factors like transportation infrastructure might be influencing this disparity, and expressed hope for a different future landscape.
Despite challenges, Bar-On shared a positive development: the establishment of a new kibbutz, Gal Shohami, near Tel Arad, after a 39-year hiatus. She sees this as a small but significant start, indicating that positive things are happening in Israel.
Addressing the decline in trust towards media and politics globally, Bar-On asserted that people are increasingly seeking data and facts over opinions. Globes, she explained, is committed to this approach, focusing on factual reporting and professional discussions, as exemplified by the conference's agenda which largely excluded politicians in favor of professionals and local authority representatives. She believes this focus on facts, even when reporting positive news like kibbutz establishment alongside challenges, resonates with the Israeli public. Bar-On concluded by expressing a desire for future conferences to delve deeper into planning committees, permit timelines, and regulatory functions, aiming to provide better service through increased data and surveys.
