The Forward is a prominent Jewish-American news publication founded in 1897 that covers Jewish life, culture, politics, and philanthropy in the U.S. and Israel from a progressive perspective, with a strong focus on investigative reporting and other Israel-related topics. It is a leading publication in the Jewish media landscape, known for its progressive and diverse perspectives on Jewish affairs. The Forward has been noted for public feuds, mutual criticisms, and exclusions within its coverage and community discourse, including an instance where it was publicly dismissed as "not a paper of great import" by the Conference after criticizing the Conference for appearing to promote John McCain's campaign. In 2007, The Forward named Jacobs one of America's top 50 Jewish leaders.