"Affecting the agenda": The connection between the Prime Minister's Office and Israel today

An ad in Netanyahu's announcement announces the training of new journalists, initiated in free together with the Government Press Office, a unit of the Prime Minister's Office. The course's stated goal: "To influence the agenda." Two arms of Netanyahu, forcibly moving in his favor

Two arms of Netanyahu, with forceps movement in his favor. Netanyahu at government meeting (Photo: Reuters)

Government meeting 9.2.2020 (Photo: Reuters)

The headline of "Israel Today" stated this morning (Thursday) that Benny Gantz, the main political rival of the daily idol Benjamin Netanyahu, "stands on the shoulders of Ahmed Tibi." It's not meant to be a compliment, at least not to be a gantz. Thus, on page 1. On page 24, readers were invited to "learn today how to be tomorrow's journalists", with training that begins in two weeks and will include "day of study week, evening study and practical emphasis". Above the newspaper's logo, in the center and "with an upside down dreamer," Netanyahu's editorial board seeks to entice those who "want to make an impact on the agenda, review the big events and write the stories like no one wrote" - no one, except the daily editors , His writings and Netanyahu.

So far everything is fine. It makes sense to reduce the recruitment site, in GSS terms, of the writers in "Israel Today" to the captive audience of his readers, who show interest in him and may identify with his world, in the center of Netanyahu that the earth revolves around. Tomorrow's "Israel Today" read it six days a week.

But the daily launched last decade to return Netanyahu to the premiership, accompanied him with cheers and applause over 11 years in office and three indictments, and worries that Pan Gantz - on Tibi's shoulders, no longer Avigdor Lieberman's shoulders - will cuddle without singing in his bed in Balfour, trusting himself. He boasts a partnership, the Government Press Bureau, a subdivision of the Prime Minister's Office - Netanyahu's office.

The ad was posted this morning

GPO and Israel Today Journalism Training Committee, February 13, 2020 (Photo: None, Official Website)

The advertisement of "Israel Today" and the GPO provides two alternatives to the application: the newspaper's address and the Jerusalem press office's telephone number. An innocent reader cannot help but be impressed that a government-affiliated state agency sponsors media recruited for the political and legal campaign of One man, advocating for him and categorizing his rivals. Two arms of Netanyahu, with forceps movement in his favor.

Netanyahu's affiliation with "Israel Today" was at the center of scrutiny by two state critics, following the appeal of Attorney Shachar Ben Meir, who claims that the newspaper's support that its purpose is to help Netanyahu is propaganda and prohibited pleasure; Investigated in the 2000 case; And the lawsuit against Netanyahu and Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Moses will begin soon. So far, critics, attorneys general and top judges have refused to attribute criminal significance to Netanyahu's relations with the newspaper and its owners, the Adelson, who testified in the case, and his frequent conversations with the daily editors His preferences.

Netanyahu's efforts to control Israeli media, either directly or indirectly, also complicated him in Case 4000, where his relationship with Bezeq / Walla Shaul Elovitz owners is described in terms of bribery, especially when Netanyahu also held the media file.

Israeli offices today (Photo: Nimrod Saunders)

Israel today (Photo: Nimrod Saunders)

The government press bureau seeks to present itself as a professional services provider and dismisses its affiliation with the PM's office as an administrative minor. The publication of "Israel Today", which blurs the boundary between private-political and state, embarrassed her.

Following the announcement, Prime Minister Shir Cohen's spokesman was asked the following questions:
1. Who decided that the State of Israel, through the Government Press Bureau, should train journalists? How many talented a year? At what professional level? What is their level of mentoring?

2. Has a tender for communication between government and private entities been published? Alternatively, was the government procurement manager exempt from a tender?

3. Will any amount be allocated to start the venture? What is the financial connection with "Israel today"?

4. Who oversees the content transmitted to trainees? Who authorized the UAE to adopt a political line that supports Prime Minister Netanyahu and opposes his rivals, including the same issue in which the GPO and "Israel Today" joint ad is published?

"Hold training and enrichment workshops with the Israeli media"

Cohen, in her response, disavowed any connection between Netanyahu and his office and the GPO in general, and the joint venture with "Israel Today" in particular. The PM's office, she said, has no involvement in the content of the bureau's and administration's work, Nitzan Chen. GPO photographers, who accompany Netanyahu's travels in Israel and around the world, and who often enjoy being classified as exclusive civil servants in his tours and meetings, are subject to his instructions. His face as he responds to the sights, the photographer obeyed, but Chen argues that similar obedience does not characterize the press bureau's content.

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Claims that obedience does not characterize the work content of the press bureau. Nitzan Chen (Photo: Bernie Ardov)

Nitzan Chen (Photo: Bernie Ardov)

According to Chen, the joint venture with "Israel Today" is fundamentally different from other activities of the press bureau. "As part of the GPO's mission, as a believer in the connection with both the foreign and local media in Israel for decades, she has been conducting training and enrichment workshops in recent years in collaboration with the Israeli media on all its strands in the fields of communication, new media, ethics and training. In front of a camera, ”Chen said.

Over the past three years, Chen added, "We have conducted such courses in collaboration with many media outlets in Israel, across all platforms, including young journalists, media students as well as professional media and new media training courses for 'media blooms' who have expressed interest in this important field. Working with the various media outlets, over the past two years we have also held courses in collaboration with the Israeli journalists organization, the Arabic language newspaper organization, the Press Council, the Israeli Institute of Democracy and other bodies. "

Chen added that "this activity is done regularly, as part of the GPO's work program and its current budget. The prime minister or anyone on his behalf has no connection or involvement with this activity, which is entirely professional, without any political nuance. "