IMW Lada'at - Israel's Media Watch update report 23 - Ma'ariv: Ehud Barak is the realization of a goal - Broadcasting of the Eyal swearing-in ceremony be prohibited

Israel's Media Watch IMW Update Report - #23,
December 13, 1999

1.   IMW will be referring a complaint to Attorney-General Elyakim Rubinstein regarding suspicions of bribery, graft and the granting of favors by Ehud Barak.
On Friday, December 3, 1999, at the Annual Editors Meeting, the chairperson, Ma'ariv editor Yaacov Erez, made the following introduction:
"Ehud Barak, from the point of view of many of us here, as Prime Minister, is the realization of a goal. But this was only one goal, on the road to the target. And this isn't the final target. The final target will be if he will succeed in fulfilling all the things he promised us the voters and citizens".

Shimon Schifer, senior diplomatic correspondent for Yediot Ahronot,
arose and retorted:
"After I heard the opening remarks of Yaakov Erez, the only thing missing for me was the 'One Israel Party' campaign jingle. We were invited to a professional gathering not to an election rally. Even if Yaakov Erez presumes that Ehud Barak is a Japanese electronic giant, it would be better if he wrote that in his newspaper and not heap words of praise, of the type he just poured on, on Ehud Barak".

IMW recalls that Ehud Barak appointed Erez to chair the Wye Memorandum Incitement committee which involves personal aggrandizement as well as material benefits. This appointment is not only less than ethical, in that Barak has muzzled a newspaper editor who will now serve his master and minimize the reporting on Palestinian Authority violations (which has already ocurred). But it may have criminal ramifications. As IMW's post-election research proved, Ma'ariv's policy on op-ed articles resulted in an almost anti-Netanyahu rate of 80% while claiming an official independent stance of the election issue.

IMW suspects that Erez served Barak in his position as newspaper editor and that in exchange Barak appointed him to his position as Incitement Committee chairperson. The remarks made on December 3, 1999 point not only to an unethical behavior and the fact that Erez desired Barak's election but a quid pro quo in that in exchange for his support, Erez was favored by Barak.

2.   In response to IMW's request that the broadcasting of the Eyal swearing-in ceremony be prohibited, we received a letter from Uri Porat informing us that some two weeks ago an IBA forum decided to restrict its broadcast to "proper occasions" and that in any case, the Director-General's special authorization would be required.      While this is a victory of sorts, IMW is still demanding that the clip carry a caption noting that the ceremony was "staged by a GSS agent".

3.    IMW will be protesting the employement of Rafi Ginat as producer and host of the IBA consumer protection program, "Kolbotek". The protest will hopefully be signed by communications academics in addition to IMW heads. By the way, if any IMW list member feels that Mr. Ginat should be investigating matters connected with the Israel Broadcasting Authority itself, the address of the program is: POB 93, Herzliya 46100.

4.   IMW called up in mid-show during a Galei Tzahal broadcast to protest the conduct of the show moderator who called up a young female to ask her opinion about oral sex at 4:40 PM on Sunday, December 12th. The station commander, Ze'ev Drori and his deputy, Gil Omer, were both not present (Drori is abroad). Nevertheless, IMW is demanding a full explanation as to this irregular behavior and lack of supervision.

5.   On occasion, IMW receives inquiries about the Agra, the TV license fee. Angry media consumers have even suggested a fee payers strike. Allow us to clarify the matter.The Agra is to be paid, by law, by all those who own a TV set. It is a tax and not a service fee. The payment is for the potential not the actual working of the set. If one does not receive transmissions, that is not a reason for non-payment. If your set is not in working order, one can appeal. But one cannot claim that he doesn't receive adequate service for the
money he is paying or that he only watches Channel Two or cable.

6. Media Oddity: The Police Entertainment Troupe (there is such a thing, it appears) sang a satirical song regarding the Nimrodi investigation on Channel Two TV's "Avraham and Yaacov" program last week. Observers not that it isn't enough that the police are feeding reporters inside information, they are now attempting to influence through song and cultural events.

8.   Last Tuesday, on Channel One TV's "7 & a Half" news program,
a right-wing MK was asked by a guest interviewer why does Israel need to stir up trouble with the Moslem world over the Temple Mount digging just when Ramadan is about to start. In his response, he noted that the interviewer should have been fair about exploiting religious issues as after all, the Jewish holiday of Chanukah, celebrating the rededication of the Temple after being made impure by the Greek-Syrians was already under way.

9.   Channel One TV's "One on One" program, hosted by Razi Barkai, had on Sunday, Dec. 12, three persons who appeared on behalf of a Golan Heights withdrawal - one former CIC of the IDF, Ehud Barak, whose 1997 speech was rebroadcast and two Generals, Yossi Peled and Ilan Biran. For balance they had journalist and satirist Uri Orbach explain how he would run a PR camapign against the proposed retreat. For those interested, Orbach
is a sergeant.

Words of (Dubious) Wisdom

In the December 8, 1999 issue of "Rating", the Ma'ariv TV guide, its reporter Avishai Ben-Eli interviewed Elisha Shpiegelman on the Avi-Yitzhak / Avramovicz affair. Shpiegelman was the editor of the Friday night "Yoman" program and refused the request of Avramovicz to close off Advocate Dan Avi-Yitzhak's microphone. Asked by Ben-Eli to comment, Shpiegelman responded thus: "You sound like [Ma'ariv TV critic] Meir Schnitzer, you are serving a man who hired someone to kill a man. You're a mercenary". To remind IMW Update readers, one of the police accusations against Ma'ariv owner Ofer Nimrodi is indeed a charge of attempted murder. However, as no indictment nor any charge sheet been presented, not to mention a court case and a judge's decision on the matter, it would seem that Mr. Shpiegelman has floundered as to a serious instance of being biased and thus acting against a citizen's fundamental right to fair treatment by the media. And if he is the editor of "Yoman", Channel One TV's major weekly news roundup, it would seem that a basic course in civics should be in order.

More Words of Wisdom

Ma'ariv, Thursday, December 2, 1999
Natan Zach, major left-wing literary figure and critic, commenting on the Avi-Yitzhak / Avramovicz affair:
"The good old English principle that one is innocent until proven guilty - in court, that is, and not on the television - was trampled by the nailed shoes of the interviewers thirsty for rating-blood, police officers seeking free popularity, and interviewees from the enlightened Left, as it were, and I refer to the expression of the twisted face full of loathing of my friend [former IBA D-G] Motti Kirschenbaum in his attempt to silence the unpleasant, to his ears, words of [Likud] MK Ruby Rivlin.

All the ethics-shmethics of the past disappeared. The interviewer is the commentator, the commentator is the decider, the decider is the researcher, the researcher is the op-eder, the op-eder is the entertainer and the entertainer is, or was, the reporter on criminal affairs and the reporter on criminal affairs is the announcer, he is the Supreme Court judge or, at the very least, the State Comptroller. All this puts to shame the necessary tradition of democracy for a free television reporting and alerting and helping to fix a wrong."

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