I've already said that I'm not one of the TV viewers these days. This has nothing to do with protecting the mind from shocking scenes, nor with escaping from dealing with political current events – the two basic and just reasons for avoiding viewing – but for a third and main reason, namely the tendency of open studios to create a binge dynamic of prolonged viewing. These are materials that you can't really stop seeing, and when a person sees five hours of repeated talk in a row, he becomes crazy, no matter what the content. Only one genre I do watch these days, and that is the IDF Spokesperson's briefings and the press conferences of the leadership, and each time I sit in front of the screen and quickly wake up in disappointment. The briefings and press conferences are a very, very important resource. With all due respect to our journalists and commentators, for many, like me, press conferences and briefings are the only reason to consume television these days. We go there to hear something, and we don't get anything. Not at the level of statements and not at the level of interviews.
The main criticism leveled at the prime minister from the beginning of the campaign until a few days ago was why he did not answer questions. I ignore this nonsensical claim, because this week it was proven to be so.
One clearance, one smile, one slight moment of embarrassment, one "I don't know" and one "I need to check" of the speakers, was more reassuring and confident than all these recited texts
The second the prime minister decided to answer questions, the questions he was asked were whether he was "taking responsibility" and political teasing (which also caused him to elegantly fall into the pit that was dug for him), so that's not the story as far as I'm concerned. The only thing I want to hear these days, after it has been pretty much agreed that the political issue is postponed until six after, etc., is what is happening now. Since I am a man who deals with stage and rhetoric, my disappointment relates to the way in which the leaders and spokesmen of the campaign make use of this tool at their disposal and at our disposal. Why do they read pre-written texts from a teleprompter? After all, this is not a text in memory of someone or anything, nor is it giving a quarterly report to board members. Why should it sound like a statement or a speech, rather than things they actually say? Is it too much to ask people who head huge systems to know how to explain their policies and decisions in words? And if this is indeed an official statement, why every day? Not enough once a week or once a month? As for the IDF Spokesperson, why does he give morale speeches full of courage, and does not dryly report what happened, what is expected and how to behave? Why does he sound like he's apologizing for something? Why does every text of his seem to begin with the hidden words "contrary to what you think... Did the IDF act this way and that"?
One big miss. These moments of encounter could have been the engine of security and calming for the residents of Israel. Instead, they have become a waste of time, artificially trying to boost morale with words that convey "power," "confidence," and "control." No, it is not. One clearance, one smile, one slight moment of embarrassment, one "I don't know" and one "I need to check" from the speakers, was more reassuring and confident than all these recited texts. How did it happen that I find myself watching a press conference held by the prime minister and his two senior ministers, and wondering when the boredom will end and Nir Dvori will return?
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