In the video: Karai: There is no place in this era for public broadcasting, it regulates the discourse (Niv Aharonson)
In the shadow of the threats to close the public broadcasting corporation, subjecting the news companies of the commercial channels to political supervision and harming the ability of journalists to conduct investigations;
The Press and Communications Council in Israel, heads of news and media organizations, heads of communication departments and schools in academic institutions, heads of the Israel Communications Association, editors and senior journalists gathered for an emergency conference initiated by the Press and Communications Council in Israel, which took place today at Bar-Ilan University to warn against the measures planned by The government: "Without independent media there is no democracy.
The legislative threats to the independence of media bodies are a severe blow to the ability to cover the government, any government."
Against the background of the government's intentions to dissolve the Public Broadcasting Corporation, reduce its budgets and powers while interfering with its contents, this is on the side of the proposal to abolish the second authority so that the supervision of the news companies will be political and not professional and additional bills, aimed at harming the investigative work of journalists, came together today (Sunday ) at Bar Ilan University, senior journalists, heads of media systems and researchers who are in charge of media studies programs in academic institutions in Israel for an emergency conference of the Press and Media Council in Israel.
Speakers at the emergency conference included: President of the Press and Communications Council in Israel, Judge (retired) Hanan Meltzer;
CEO of News 12, Avi Weiss; Israel Hayom editor, Omer Lahmanovitch; Dean of the Faculty of Law at Bar Ilan University, Prof. Michal Alberstein, journalist and editor at The Marker newspaper, Merav Arlozorov; journalist Rezi Barkai and more.
"The struggle of the corporation - the struggle of all of us".
Razi Barkai (Photo: Tamar Matzafi)
Judge (retired) Meltzer presented an opinion, which was signed by the chairman of the Israel Media Association, the heads of media bodies in Israel, journalists and heads of communication departments from 14 universities and colleges throughout the country. The opinion read, among other things: The media market in Israel and the destruction of the ability of citizens to receive information and to criticize the government's actions in front of it, including: education, health, the economy, and personal security.
An independent press is the lifeblood of Israeli democracy.
The very threat of harming these bodies and the headquarters of journalists, as well as the very idea of subordinating their commercial channels and news companies to the government, constitute a severe blow to their ability to cover and criticize the government, any government."
The President of the Press and Communications Council in Israel, Judge (retired) Hanan Meltzer: "The plans we were informed about, if implemented, could result in Israel no longer being considered the only democracy in the Middle East. Furthermore, the very threat of the existence of these plans is a violation of the freedom of the press and the media In order to put fear on editors and journalists and limit the freedom of coverage. Menachem Begin established in connection with public broadcasting two assertions that were correct at the time and are valid to this day. (a) The freedom of the media must not be interfered with through censorship of any kind except for clear security reasons. If you do not say yes You will find censorship whitewashing the face of the state. (b) Public broadcasting must not be government broadcasting. The broadcasting service as long as it is state-owned must be available to all citizens of the country. Today's gathering presents a broad and apolitical front of the council, media outlets, media lecturers , editors, journalists, and the presence is general since there is a feeling that the attack on the gate.Therefore, this is a true alarm and everyone is united in the call - it will not be and will not be."
CEO of News 12, Avi Weiss: "They are serious, decisive, they don't intend to give up, but neither do we.
They are determined, but so are we.
We will maintain free communication.
This is not a fight for livelihood, but for the country.
Because there is no democratic country without free communication.
Unfortunately, some people got confused.
They forgot that our bosses, the journalists, are not the politicians - they are the viewers, the listeners, they are the citizens, right-wing and left-wing, centrist, religious and secular.
We work for them and we will continue to fight for a press that serves the public, its right to know and we will continue to work for a media that is not afraid and does not cower."
More in Walla!
The intriguing process of recycling metal packaging
In cooperation with the Tamir Recycling Corporation
"An independent press is the lifeblood of democracy."
Retired Judge Hanan Meltzer (Photo: Tamar Matzafi)
Dr. Amit Kama, chairman of the Israel Communications Association: "We must be disturbed by the sword that is hanging over the head of public broadcasting. The threat is a violent act, which imposes its fear on an entire public of those engaged in the craft. The politics of intimidation is supremely violent, because it forms the basis on which violent activities are carried out. Intimidation is the theory, violence is the practice. I am calling on the Minister of Communications and his spokesmen here: the violence you create is establishing a regime based on fear and anxiety. A regime in which a person and/or a media body does not have the ability to express themselves properly and speak the truth Such a regime has nothing in common with democracy!"
Mirav Arlozorov, journalist and editor at the newspaper The Marker: "It is not for nothing that Karai's bill combines the weakening of free public broadcasting with the promotion of the profits of private controlling owners of certain regional radio stations, because in order for the economy of the cronies to flourish, the free media must be silenced. No less than There is a plot here to eliminate Israeli democracy, there is probably a plot here to transfer wealth to a handful of associates. Old and rotten ruling capital. We need a strong media to stop this."
Prof. Ariel Bandor, Faculty of Law at Bar Ilan University: "In academic jargon, freedom of speech and the press is considered part of the channels of political change, like the right to choose and be elected. The elected government has an interest, legitimate in itself, in its election in the future as well. Precisely because of this, it must not bring about fundamental changes , which are not based on a broad consensus, which may harm the channels of political change, without which there is no - and cannot be - democracy."
Journalist Razi Barkai: "The struggle of the corporation is a struggle of all of us and I am happy that there are signs of solidarity here. There is also a value side to this: the corporation does beautiful journalistic work and should not be touched. There is also a self-interested side to solidarity: with the never-ending obsession of this government, Today it's the corporation, tomorrow it's all of us again."
Among the heads of departments who signed the declaration of opinion are Dr. Yaron Ariel, Emek Jezreel Academic College, Dr. Yuval Gozhansky, Sapir Academic College, Prof. Nurit Tal-Or, University of Haifa, Dr. Amit Lavia-Dinor, University Reichman, Dr. Mia Mazor Tergerman, Oranim Academic Center for Education and Society, Dr. Eidit Manusevich, Kinneret Academic College, Prof. Haim Noi, Bar-Ilan University, Dr. Dan Arab, College of Management, Prof. Paul Proosh, The Hebrew University, Prof. Eran Fisher, The Open University, Prof. Zvi Reich, Ben-Gurion University, Prof. Elad Segev,
Barangay
news
Tags
Razi Barkai