Arutz Sheva News Service, Tuesday, May 12, 1998 / Iyar 16, 5758 / 31 days to the Omer
Reform groups are paying for the trips to American of top Israeli reporters. Yesterday, three reporters on Knesset affairs - Nitzan Chen of Israel Broadcasting Authority's Channel One, Gil Litman of Voice of Israel radio, and Adam Shub of Army Radio - departed for the U.S., on the Reform groups' account. They will be taken on a guided study tour in Jewish centers, most of them Reform.
Israel's Media Watch claims that the trip is in violation of professional
ethics, and asked IBA Director-General Uri Porat a few days ago to cancel
it. Porat reportedly was against the trip, but the trip was not canceled.
Israel's Media Watch complained to the new Director-General of Israel's Broadcasting Authority, Mr. Uri Porat, regarding a possible instance of conflict-of-interest violation by Israel Television's Knesset reporter, Nitzan Chen.
Chen delivered a report concerning the Law of Conversion which is being debated by Israel's Knesset. Chen had only just recently returned from a two-week trip to New York and Washington sponsored by the Reform Movement through its Jerusalem-based Center for Religious Pluralism.
The participation of Chen, and that of Radio Kol Yisrael's Knesset reporter, Gil Litman, on the tour was protested at the time by Israel's Media Watch. Not only did the trip not go through proper authorization channels but it seemingly violated basic IBA guidelines as well as the code of behavior for public employees and indeed, the penal code. It was pointed out to Porat that no journalist should enjoy an all-expense paid junket by an interested party such as the Reform Movement which has a stake in the professional reporting done by Chen.
IMW called upon Porat to prevent future violations, to punish the reporters and to halt Chen and Litman from reporting on any news item connected with the Reform Movement for a significant "chilling period".
IMW is a registered non-profit organization whose major aim is assuring
the ethical and fair conduct of the Israeli media.
Get
your own FreeHome Page