FROM THE CHAIRMAN'S DESK:

This past half year has seen changes in the emphasis of our work. In addition to our on-going research, we have dealt with a variety of topics including advertising, decency, education and culture. These are described elsewhere in the bulletin.

A. Our foremost success in this period is the opening of a formal chapter of Israel's Media Watch in the Haifa region. I would especially like to thank Mr. Moshe Geiger for his hard work and dedication in founding our first chapter outside Jerusalem. We hope this is a good omen for the future and look forward to similar chapters all over the country. Any member who can help in this endeavor is urged to contact our office.

This encouraging development has led us to open the ranks of IMW to full membership amongst the public. We ask you to fill in the membership form enclosed with this bulletin and to fulfill your financial obligation. Special rates are provided for students and pensioners.

We expect that IMW's activities will considerably expand during the next half year. We will be permitted to employ National Service girls whose main job will be to facilitate discussion programs on democracy and critical media viewing in the high schools. A pilot program is being initiated in the Jerusalem area and we hope to go national by the beginning of the new school year. We would like to thank all those who have been helpful in launching this program, notably the Minister of Education Mr. Zevulun Hammer and Mr. Efraim Lapid, his media advisor. We also thank the "Maaleh" School of Communication for their help and cooperation. Girls who are planning to enter National Service this coming year and are interested in this program are asked to contact our office for an interview.

B. A second exciting development is IMW's own TV program on the cable network in the framework of community broadcasting. We have received approval to begin with a biweekly half-hour program.

Our professionals - Adir Zik and Moshe Alafi - have agreed to voluntarily direct and produce the program. We promise you a very different quality TV program! Of course, good will and enthusiasm are not sufficient. An ambitious project such as this requires financial resources but with your help we shall overcome any obstacle.

We expect that this program will set a precedent in the production of Israel television series dealing with news making events. And even IMW won't be able to criticize its balance and fairness.

Finally, I want to personally thank Ms. Penina Cohen, our dedicated research assistant over the past two years. Your responsible and accurate work has been the secret our our successful research. We thank you for your work and wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

With sincere wishes for a Happy Pesach,

Eli Pollak

A. Parliamentary & Legal:

1. IMW participated in sessions of the Knesset Education Committee, contributing to altering the principles governing the operations of the IBA Ombudsman.

2. We contested the budget proposal of the IBA, sendingmemoranda to ministers and MKs. IMW appeared before the Knesset's Finance Committee. Our efforts succeeded in helping to reduce the budget. On our recommendation, the IBA must report back to the Committee every three months.

3. IMW reps met with MK Shaul Yahalom, Law Committee Chairman, to discuss amendments to the Elections Law; with MK Chanan Porat, NRP Faction Head; the Legal Advisor in the Prime Minister's office regarding further changes in the IBA's Ombudsman guidelines;

4. IMW was invited to sit in on a meeting of the Knesset Education Committee which deliberated issues concerning the Second Television Authority.

5. IMW is engaged in a campaign for truth-in-advertising. A criminal complaint was made to the police against Clinica-On and the IBA. Additional complaints were sent to the Attorney-General, the Consumer Protection Law Supervisor and the Israel Consumer Council.

6. A complaint was made to the Public Complaints Commissioner charging the IBA with systematically preventing IMW from appearing on Radio Kol Yisrael.

B. Meetings:

Conferences and meetings were conducted with the following:

• Dr. Kadman of the Child's Protection Council on matters of decency in broadcasting content and scheduling times;
• Education Minister Hammer to discuss IMW's proposal for decency rating of TV films;
• Efraim Lapid, Minister Hammer's Media Advisor;
• Cable Council Chairperson Michal Rafaeli-Kaduri on broadcast ethics;
• Supreme Court Justice Eliyahu Matza, the new Chairman of the Central Election Committee;
• IBA Ombudsman Victor Grayevsky and Consumer Council Director Ariella Ravdal;

C. Ads, Op-Eds and Public Appearances:

• Op-ed articles appeared in the Jerusalem Post (Dec. 4; Jan. 21 & Feb. 12) and in Ha'Aretz on Dec. 29.
• An article on the electronic media performance during the election campaign was published by the Israel Democracy Institute's "Seventh Eye" professional media periodical.
• An article on the IBA's advertising policy appeared in "Nekuda".
• IMW published an ad in Ha'Aretz on Dec. 26 under the headline: "Is the IBA Truly A Public Broadcasting Authority?".

• IMW reps appeared twice on Meir Gross' talk show on Arutz 7 (the weekly column has been temporarily suspended);
• Eli Pollak was briefly interviewed on Nadav HaEtzni's Kol Yisrael program on Feb. 23 and...
• He spoke before groups in Haifa (twice), the NRP's Media conclave, the Hebrew University's Forum for Media students and a Likud media protest assembly.
• On March 19th, Eli Pollak was interviewed on Razi Barkai's Galei-Tzahal radio program.
  
• A press conference on the issue of the IBA's budget authorization was conducted on Dec. 22.
• The IMW was invited to present a paper before the Israel Communications Association Annual Conference on May 7..
• The IMW's director was made a member of the Education Ministry's Religious Division Think-Tank on Media Leadership.

D. Organizational Developments:

1. IMW is cooperating with the NRP's Young Guard and its members are volunteering in the IMW office. Ongoing cooperation is conducted with the Haredi "Manof" organization.

2. IMW's discussion program, dealing with media consumerism & ethics, has been adopted by the "Maaleh" Communications School and is being offered to high school pupils.

3. Preparations are being undertaken to begin a special IMW community cable program on local TV.

4. A request has been made to authorize IMW to employ National Service girls.

5. A special "Friends of IMW" marketing insert was attached to the "Nekuda" magazine with encouraging results.

WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY ABOUT US

* During our campaign against the IBA's proposed budget, Yale Gvirtz in Yedi'ot Achronot of Jan. 3, 1997, described IMW as "drinking [Kirschenbaum's] blood these past months".

* Ehud Ashari of Ha'Aretz wrote on Jan. 2, 1997 that IMW Chairman, Prof. E. Pollak, "was a declared enemy of the IBA".In a previous article, on Dec. 18, 1996, Ashari wrote "in the IBA's highest echelons, they are taking into account the bothersome campaign waged against Channel One TV by the IMW...".

HOW TO COMPLAIN

We encourage our friends to complain directly to the media authorities. This is the essence of democracy. All complaints should be concise, to the point and non-polemical. A copy should be sent to us for follow-up.

1. V. Grayevsky, IBA, POB 28080, Jerusalem, 91280

2. Y. Rekem, Second Authority, POB 34122, Jerusalem 95464.

3. M. Shlonsky Radio Galei-Tzahal, M.P. 01005, IDF.

4. D. Dvortzki, Educational Television, 14 Klausner St., Tel Aviv 69011.

5. M. Strasbourg-Alkabetz, Cable TV Council, 23 Jaffa Road, Jerusalem, 91999.

IMW WEB SITE !!!

With the generous help of IMW supporter, Dr. Ilan Malester of Haifa, IMW now has a Web site. Under construction, the site will contain information regarding the activities of IMW, op-ed articles, research reports and other relevant data. The site will be updated regularly. Stop by and visit! Let us know what you think and if you have any suggestions. The address is:

www.oocities.org/CapitolHill/9648

WHAT THEY WRITE..."IN REPLY".

• IMW wrote in complaint that remarks of Naomi Frenkel transmitted over Kol Yisrael were taken out of context and spliced together to create a false and misleading impression. In reply, we were informed that this was "a serious error done by a production aide, not intentionally and under pressure". Furthermore, the aide was reprimanded and professional steps were taken against her. From now on, the editors are required to listen to cutouts prior to then being broadcast".
• A second recent complaint dealt with gratuitous nudity of a female model on ý the 'Boker Tov' TV program displaying, as it were, two clocks to remind the viewers of the change to summer time. In reply, the IBA Ombudsman agreed that the section was not in good taste and that he had requested that the TV Director avoid in the future any other similar displays.
• IMW complained that the Friday night 'Yoman' program on Channel One TV was negligent in not allowing a person the right of reply in an instance that clearly dictated, according to the ethics code, that a response be broadcast adjacent to the original report. In reply, Victor Grayevsky wrote that an attempt was made but the person was vacationing. Nevertheless, the reporter involved, Michael Doron, admitted that an announcement that an attempt had been made should have been broadcast at the end of the item.
• Following up a "Friend of IMW"'s complaint, we wrote to the Educational Television network that a Christian Requiem had been broadcast as part of the mourning period for the victims of the helicopter crash in February. In reply, Dafna Dvortzky informed us that Tamar Reiner, a channel director, would take care to enrich the music resources of IETV and include traditional and Chassidic music in its repertoire.

DID YOU KNOW...?

• that the pool of commentators must be varied (Nakdi Document, Par. 24)

• that the broadcasters must differentiate clearly between factual reports and personal opinions, commentary or analysis (Second Authority Ethics Code, Par. 16).
• that despite the need for speed, an IBA employee cannot ignore the need to check facts and it's the quality of the sources not their number that counts. (Nakdi Document, Par. 62).

WE NEED YOU AS A "FRIEND OF MEDIA WATCH"

We cannot continue our vital work without your help, financial and organizational. We need additional funds and we want as many concerned citizens as possible to see IMW as their representative. To become a member, to have your acquaintances become members, to open a local branch, please contact:

ISRAEL'S MEDIA WATCH P.O.B. 6023, JERUSALEM 91060. Tel: 02-6236425. - Fax:02- 623 6246

E-mail: isrmedia@netvision.net.il