Media watchdog, veteran journalist oppose anti-Israel Hayom bill

Opposition within the ranks of Israel's media to the Knesset bill targeting Israel Hayom is growing, with both a media watchdog group and veteran journalist Razi Barkai making public statements against the legislation.

Earlier this week, chairman of Israel's Media Watch Professor Eli Pollak sent a harshly critical letter to Knesset members who support the bill that purports to "protect print journalism in Israel."

"You have recently submitted the bill for the Promotion and Protection of Printed Media in Israel, which seeks to outlaw the distribution of free newspapers. ... The goal of the bill is supposedly to prevent the continued collapse [of print journalism] and keep more employees from being let go, so that the journalism market can go back to operating under fair, democratic conditions," Pollak wrote.

"We would like to express our opposition to the bill in principle, as well as prove that the claims it makes are fundamentally baseless."

Pollak referred to data from the Target Group Index market research organization, which indicated that between 2006 (when free newspapers entered the market) to 2013, freebies had increased the public's exposure to print journalism.

"As a result of the 'free sheets,' many more people read newspapers than in the past and this is most positive. The advertising market has also increased as a result," Pollak wrote.

The media watchdog head also dismissed the argument that free papers were responsible for the crisis in print journalism.

"The crisis in Israel and abroad stems from the age of electronic media that is available to everyone," he wrote.

Addressing the question of media monopoly, the prevention of which is one of the rationales behind the bill, Pollak said that it was right for the government to intervene when a suspected monopoly threatened freedom of expression. However, he noted, only last week had the chief of Israel's Antitrust Authority given Israel Hayom the go-ahead to acquire the weekend paper Makor Rishon, after a lengthy check determined that Israel Hayom was not a monopoly.

Morever, Pollak said, before the advent of free newspapers, Yedioth Ahronoth had had a virtual monopoly on the journalism market in Israel. Therefore, he said, free newspapers had actually broken a monopoly that already existed.

Pollak also discussed the impact of free newspapers on the advertising market, saying that advertisers were most strongly affected by public broadcasters, which are subsidized at approximately NIS 1 billion ($290 million), much more than the cost of a free sheet. Anyone who was really worried about a stronger advertising market that would keep media outlets from collapsing would demand a complete halt to any and all advertising (including public service messages) on publicly funded media, Pollak argued.

Lastly, the letter from Israel's Media Watch said, "It was clear that we are talking about a specific bill that targets a specific media outlet, constructed especially to close it down. As such, the bill comprises a gross attack on the principle of equality and basic democratic values, including the values of equality, nondiscrimination, freedom of expression and freedom of the press, freedom of business and the principle of free competition."

"We call upon you to withdraw this embarrassing bill, which is no credit to the legislature and not worthy of a democratic state," the letter concluded.

Meanwhile, following Israel Hayom's article about Labor MK Eitan Cabel, the bill's primary author, veteran journalist Razi Barkai interviewed Cabel Wednesday on his current events program on Army Radio.

Barkai had harsh words for Cabel, saying, "In my opinion, this bill is a disgrace. Shall I tell you why? Regardless of my personal opinion of Israel Hayom, whether it's a good paper or not, this paper sells. Israelis want to buy it. It sells advertising, and that's important. What does it matter to you how it's released -- people want to read it," Barkai said.

Cabel said in response that "there are rules to the game, and these rules say that even if tomorrow someone wants to sell or buy Army Radio or any other outlet and broadcast what he wants, he isn't allowed to. That is to say, just like in print journalism, the rule is -- if you want to buy a paper and read it, buy it."

Later in the interview Barkai asked Cabel, "If this newspaper expressed the worldview of the Zionist Left in Israel, would you also oppose it-"

Cabel said, "That's not a typical question from you. ... It has nothing to do with that. The struggle is one of principle."

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