How Benjamin Netanyahu Is Crushing Israel’s Free Press

[Little Tich]

Source: New York Times, By RUTH MARGALIT

In its annual report released this spring, Freedom House, an American democracy advocacy organization, downgraded Israel’s freedom of the press ranking from “free” to “partly free.” To anyone following Israeli news media over the past year and a half, this was hardly surprising. Freedom House focused primarily on the “unchecked expansion” of paid content in editorial pages, as well as on the outsize influence of Israel Hayom (“Israel Today”), a free daily newspaper owned by the American casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and widely believed to promote the views of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israel Hayom’s bias is well documented. A 2013 investigative report on Israeli television revealed drafts of several articles written by the paper’s journalists that had been systematically changed by the editor in chief to remove criticism of the prime minister. For a newspaper to have a political agenda is, of course, nothing new. But Israel Hayom isn’t conservative or right wing in the broad sense. Rather, the paper megaphones whatever is in the interest of the prime minister. Naftali Bennett, a far-right government minister, has said “Israel Hayom is Pravda — the mouthpiece of one man.”

In many ways, the Freedom House report missed the real worrying shifts. Mr. Netanyahu’s attempts to control the country’s pages and airwaves go much further than Israel Hayom. For the past 18 months, in addition to his prime ministerial duties, he has served as Israel’s communications minister (as well as its foreign minister, economy minister and minister of regional cooperation). In this role, he and his aides have brazenly leveraged his power to seek favorable coverage from outlets that he once routinely described as “radically biased.”

Efforts to stifle freedom of the press can be seen as part of a broader attack by Mr. Netanyahu and his ministers on Israel’s democratic institutions, including the Supreme Court and nongovernmental organizations. Dissent from the official government line is consistently called into suspicion. In this climate, the news media has become a personal battleground for Mr. Netanyahu. Nahum Barnea, a pre-eminent Israeli columnist, said last year that Mr. Netanyahu’s “obsession” with the news media showed him to be “gripped by fear and paranoia.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/31/opinion/sunday/how-benjamin-netanyahu-is-crushing-israels-free-press.html

[shira]

1. This is comical. If Israel shuts down Israel Hayom for being Bibi's mouthpiece....

....then THAT's a serious infringement of press freedom. Israel is damned either way for having a free press and free market. Freedom House was determined to downgrade Israel's free press rating and pulled this Hayom bullshit out of their asses, especially compared to other countries downgraded for REAL reasons like harrassing, arresting & assassinating reporters, censoring news, banning papers...

There isn't another country whose media is more critical of their government than Israel and that's a fact. Israel's media is far more free than the USA, which graded out better from Freedom House.

Also, the UK has popular free newspapers like the Evening Standard while other pay newspapers are failing there. But the UK's rating is Free.

Who really takes this idiotic schlock from the NYT seriously? This is bush league journalism (propaganda).

[Little Tich]

2. 'Partly free'? The real state of Israeli press freedom is much worse

Source: +972 Mag, April 29, 2016

Freedom House has downgraded its ranking of Israel’s media from ‘free’ to ‘partly free,’ citing closer ties to the government and a spike in paid media content. But it has one flagrant omission: Israel’s poor treatment of Palestinian journalists.

Freedom House, the U.S.-based watchdog NGO that reports on the state of civil liberties around the world, has downgraded its ranking of Israel’s media from “free” to “partly free” in its 2016 Freedom of the Press Report. The authors of the report cite the influence of the free daily newspaper Israel Hayom, which is owned and subsidized at a huge loss by American casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who is an unabashed patron of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel Hayom pursues an editorial agenda that is overtly partisan toward Netanyahu, which is why it is often referred to as the “Bibiton,” a portmanteau of the Hebrew word for “newspaper” and the Israeli leader’s nickname, Bibi. The report also cites the “unchecked expansion” of paid media content, which is not always clearly identified. It notes that this paid content is sometimes funded by the government.

This is not the first time Israel’s ranking has been downgraded. In its 2013 report Freedom House based a downgrade on several factors, most prominently on the indictment of Uri Blau, an investigative reporter for Haaretz, for possession of state secrets in the IDF whistleblower Anat Kamm case. Nor is this the first time Freedom House has noted the influence of Israel Hayom on Israel’s press freedom: The free daily was cited in the 2013 report as well, for having “threatened the sustainability of other papers and contributed to the collapse and buyout of the daily Maariv.”

The free/partly free ranking is a matter of just a few points in their methodology, pointed out Freedom House’s Sarah Repucci, who heads up the publication of the annual Freedom of the Press Report. She added, “We use detailed methodology. Israel shifted only two points this year.”

There was some outrage in right-wing circles over the downgrade, with Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin quoting a couple of DC-based neo-cons to support her claim that the report was an example of anti-Israel bias.

Read more: http://972mag.com/partly-free-the-real-state-of-israeli-press-freedom-is-much-worse/118928/

The ranking went down 2 points, which put Israel in a different bracket. Not a big deal, actually...

[shira]

3. There's certainly no shortage of idiotic anti-Israel OP-ED's, is there? n/t

Last edited Mon Aug 1, 2016, 07:24 AM - Edit history (1)

[6chars]

4. Quick comparison with Turkey

Israel: Has one online newspaper that receives funding from a right wing American and Netanyahu speaks to this newspaper

Turkey: Issues arrest warrants for 89 journalists, closes 3 news agencies, 45 newspapers, 29 publishing houses, 23 radio stations, 16 TV stations.

Which one of these is "crushing the country's free press"?

Easy call for Israel haters.

[Mosby]

5. besides

There are more journalists, foreign and domestic per capita in Israel than any other country in the world. It's a visible sign of the obsession the world has with the Jews.

[Little Tich]

6. I suppose having more press freedom than Turkey is good enough for some.

Do you think the downgrading of the Press Freedom Score by 2 points to 32 was justified? Perhaps it's time for Netanyahu to sack his Communications Minister? There's a pretty detailed explanation for the situation in Israel and the reasons for the downgrading, and I thought it made sense:

Israel Freedom of the Press 2016
Source: Freedom House
(snip)

Status change explanation: Israel declined from Free to Partly Free due to the growing impact of Israel Hayom, whose owner-subsidized business model endangered the stability of other media outlets, and the unchecked expansion of paid content—some of it government funded—whose nature was not clearly identified to the public.

Overview
Israel enjoys a lively, pluralistic media environment in which press freedom is generally respected. However, due to ongoing conflicts with Palestinian groups and neighboring countries, media outlets are subject to military censorship and gag orders, and journalists often face travel restrictions. Economic pressures have undermined the sustainability of key outlets in recent years, threatening long-term media pluralism.

Key Developments
The financial viability of private print and broadcast outlets remained a concern in 2015, especially given the growing market share of the free paper Israel Hayom, the country’s leading print outlet. It is owned and subsidized by American businessman Sheldon Adelson and strongly supports Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Another source of concern was the increasing use of unmarked advertising and branded content in major media outlets, including the most popular news website, Ynet.

After national elections in March, Prime Minister Netanyahu decided to serve as communications minister himself, giving him control over the regulation of various segments of the market.

Read more: https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2016/israel

[6chars]

7. What merits an NYT editorial

this week, the very week a middle eastern democracy and ally 15 times the size of Israel essentially eliminates 100% of its freedom of the press in one fell swoop, NYT decides it is imperative to have an editorial about someone "crushing free press" to complain about Netanyahu's political appointments?

No one arrested, no one lost licenses, nothing was closed, no money was paid by the government or taken by the government. No orders given. Just the usual politics.

This week, a unprecedented real crushing of the free press occurred in a country that is much more important than Israel. The fact that this week, the NY Times chose to be silent on that and to have a major article describing, generously, a millionth (maybe a billionth) as much reduction in press freedom in another country only shows Israel derangement system. If anything, it suggests that maybe the NY Times is not a free press, since it is making old Soviet style editorial decisions.

But I certainly am not surprised you find this merits attention.

[Little Tich]

8. It seems as if those who actually care about Israel's press freedom disagree with you.

I disagree with you. Press freedom is important for democracy and stuff. Just because bad things happen in Turkey doesn't mean that the situation should be allowed to deteriorate in Israel.

[Israeli]

9. Not news for us .....

see : ...

Analysis Netanyahu Runs Amok in His Attack on Freedom of the Press

Fortunately, his partners in the governing coalition are waking up to his stifling of democracy.

Yossi Verter Jul 20, 201

Even if the resistance is belated, it’s a good thing it has come. Bennett, Kahlon and all the rest voluntarily signed a clause in the coalition agreement promising not to vote in the Knesset against the Communications Ministry’s initiatives.

Only now, 15 months after the coalition formed, do they realize what was clear the moment the clause appeared along with Netanyahu’s decision to keep the communications portfolio for himself.

The preservation of Israeli democracy is now in their hands. Netanyahu has no leverage over them.

read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.732216

Also : ....

Netanyahu Declares War on Israel's Media, Gets Lesson in Constraints of Power

The prime minister has shamelessly set out to annihilate free press – zeroing in on one newspaper in particular – Yedioth Ahronoth. Members of his cabinet step in to teach him a lesson on the constraints of power.

Yossi Verter Jul 23, 2016

Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak noted recently that he detects buds of fascism in Israel. Well, they’re no longer just buds.

Every political player who was exposed to Netanyahu’s carpet-bombing of the media this week understands that, in addition to taking revenge and getting rid of anyone who doesn’t venerate him, the man is focused on preparing for the next election. There’s no other explanation for this frenetic activity. It’s either because of the progress the police are making in the investigation about him, or he’s doing all this to be on the safe side, come what may. The weaker and poorer and more subordinate to the chief regulator (Netanyahu) the variouso media outlets are, the better for the prime minister. And the more restrained and reeducated other media bodies – such as the new corporation or the Knesset Channel – are, and the more they are under Netanyahu’s thumb, the better things will be in the election. That’s the final destination.

read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.732631

[shira]

11. What a bunch of crap. Israel's vibrant press can severely attack Bibi without any fear.

All the evidence needed to prove it is Haaretz and +972 for their constant, non-stop harsh criticism of Bibi and the GOI.

[Israeli]

12. :)..

http://www.israellycool.com/2016/07/31/haaretz-stops-even-trying-to-pretend-theyre-not-a-joke/

[shira]

14. Exactly! A terror advocate who incites murdering Jews has total freedom to savage Bibi....

....and the GOI anytime he wishes without fear.

Gideon Levy.

[Israeli]

16. ROFLMAO .....

Before Gideon Levy there was Shulamit Aloni shira .....

She who created Meretz that you stated you would vote for if you could ........

[shira]

17. Shulamit Aloni didn't incite murderous attacks on Jews like Gideon Levy.

Gideon Levy and his cheerleaders are practically the same as neo-Nazis and skinhead pricks who call for the death of Jews. Nothing but degenerate garbage.

[Israeli]

21. Sure shira ...sure ....

[Little Tich]

19. Netanyahu should fire his Communications Minister ASAP. n/t

[Israeli]

22. LOL .....good one ....

Even better .....

PM: I’m communications minister because only I can withstand media pressure

Netanyahu says he’s trying to open up market to competition, not reign in press; Herzog dubs him would-be ‘Israeli Fidel Castro’

BY MARISSA NEWMAN August 1, 2016, 7:13 pm

http://www.timesofisrael.com/pm-says-he-remains-communications-minister-because-only-he-can-withstand-media-pressure/

[Little Tich]

24. Netanyahu is a man of many ministries... n/t

[shira]

10. LoL....yes, you care so much. You still haven't attempted to defend Freedom House' rating.

Last edited Mon Aug 1, 2016, 07:26 AM - Edit history (1)

Press freedom is important for democracy and stuff.

Gee, no shit.

Nice try implying we don't think Press freedom in Israel is important.

Israel's free press is WAY more critical of the government than any other liberal western nation. There are no restrictions on how severely Bibi or the government can be criticized. Check this latest crap out...

Stop Living in Denial, Israel Is an Evil State
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.734309

Written by Gideon Levy, who advocates and incites terror against innocents. Imagine...Israel's press allows for terror advocates to incite violence against and the murder of Israeli civilians. If that isn't free speech and free press, nothing is.

No other liberal nation would allow this, so are the UK, US, and France guilty of stifling freedom of press?

[Little Tich]

18. Here's an article about what happens to an Israeli journalist who is doing his job:

Israeli judge to reporter - state security matters more than press freedom
Source: The Guardian, 4 September 2012

An Israeli court has ruled that state security is more important than freedom of the press and the public's right to know.

A judge decided that national security trumped the rights of journalists because, without the former, there would be no state and therefore no newspapers.

That was the conclusion to a case involving Uri Blau, a reporter with Israel's Haaretz newspaper, who was sentenced to four months' community service under a plea bargain for possessing classified military documents.

In a written judgement delivered at Tel Aviv magistrates court, judge Ido Druyan said: "I accept the plea bargain reached by the parties, and sentence the accused to a single term of four months' jail which may be served by means of community service... starting from 11 September 2012."

Blau, who will do his community service at a medical centre, was convicted in July of possessing secret army papers that he received from a former soldier who was subsequently jailed on charges of spying.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2012/sep/04/press-freedom-israel

[shira]

23. Deflection. We were discussing the most recent 2015 Freedom House rating.

As for Uri Blau, the documents stolen were classified IDF papers about operations, movements, unit information; actual national security interests given the very real terror threats Israel constantly faces.

Blau then lied to investigators, fled the country, and refused to return the documents - really dumbass moves - all felonies. That's why he got into legal trouble and even then he was allowed to do community service in lieu of jail time.

Israel haters pretend none of these felonies ever happened and that this is only about press freedom when it's not. The deceptive Guardian article you cited doesn't even mention the felonies Blau committed. Why do you think they omitted them?

[geek tragedy]

13. rightly or wrongly, Israel gets held to European standards whereas Turkey usually

gets held to Middle Eastern standards.

[shira]

15. Israel is held to a higher standard than any liberal western European nation.....

Last edited Mon Aug 1, 2016, 09:34 AM - Edit history (3)

The Freedom House rating is complete nonsense that no one can defend given the FACT Israeli media is free to be far more critical of its government than any other nation on the planet.

BTW, it's self-criticism that makes Israel as strong as it is today.

The lack of self-criticism is the main reason Israel's enemies are failures & losers.

[Little Tich]

20. Regev’s remarks rile right and left

Source: Times of Israel

‘Borderline fascist’ comments by Likud minister who wants government control over public broadcasting have the press up in arms — apart from Israel Hayom

Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev’s bombastic remarks against a bill establishing a new public broadcasting company make headlines across the Israeli press on Monday:

“It can’t be that we’ll set up a [broadcasting] authority and not control it.”

“It’s unacceptable that the communications minister doesn’t have any control over appointments and management of the public broadcaster, which is funded with public money.”

“If we have no control, why should we give it money?”

Read more: http://www.timesofisrael.com/regevs-remarks-rile-right-and-left/