A week has passed since President Shimon Peres hosted the most expensive birthday bash Israel has ever known. Next week, the Supreme Court will take up the State Prosecution's appeal in former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's corruption trial, which centered on the cash-stuffed envelopes he had received. So, against the backdrop of those two events, Yedioth Ahronoth's Calcalist (a separate publication that features business news) printed a center-fold ad calling on readers to become subscribers.
The ad was in good humor; that is, it was as subtle as an sledgehammer: the ad featured a large tub of pistachio-flavored ice-cream (Aha! Like the scoop it got when it revealed the Prime Minister's Office has a big budget for ice-cream). Next to the ice-cream tub there was a breakdown of the PMO's budget.
Of course, had we subscribed to Calcalist's home delivery we would know all that. So, just how good is the paper when it comes to investigative journalism and the unearthing of scandals? Let's begin with the basic facts. The story it ran on the prime minister's expenses was full of lies. Israel Hayom's Mati Tuchfeld de-constructed the figures it presented on the PMO's budget, revealing that they referred to the approved expenditures, not the actual spending.
In fact, the list contained certain figures that were not relevant. For example, only a third of the budget that was earmarked for ice-cream -- the much-talked-about 10,000 shekel ($2,7600) a year -- was actually spent. Calcalist could not be bothered to publish a correction.
Why? Because in publisher Arnon (Noni) Mozes' kingdom, so it seems, the pain generated by having Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the official occupant of the PMO, is too painful. It seems as though all of Yedioth Ahronoth's publications, including its online portals and employees in its sphere of influence, would do anything it takes to bring the defendant, aka Ehud Olmert, back. They pay respect to Olmert; but they want to steam roll Netanyahu.
Could it be that under Olmert, the paper found it easier to do business, much easier? Could it be that it was more convenient to tilt its reporting in his favor -- hence, the so-called "tilting mechanism" Mozes is known for --- because such conduct helped it? Here is a small, very abridged, story: back in the day, Yedioth Ahronoth applied for a state grant to build another printing facility in the north. Olmert, who was industry, trade and labor minister (the ministry has since been renamed as Economy and Trade Ministry), heeded its request.
But the ministry's bureaucracy refused to follow through. They said the funds could not be funneled to the paper under existing law. Why? Because under the Encouragement of Capital Investments Law, prospective recipients of the grants must export at least half of their manufactured goods.
The only problem was that overseas demand for Hebrew-language papers was rather scarce. Yedioth petitioned the High Court of Justice and was advised by one of the justices to drop its petition. This was more than just a piece of advice, it was a hint of what's to come when the court rendered its decision. Can this partially explain why the paper loves Olmert and scorns that justice at every opportunity?
Do you want another example of the paper's biased reporting? Until recently, the paper omitted channel 10 from its TV guide. Channel 10 was the enemy. But, lo and behold, not only is the programming now part of the guide, the paper has published a plethora of pieces on the channel and its stars (one of the paper's former editors has recently been appointed as the channel's CEO). Mozes has now shifted to a different strategy. By the way, this hasn't helped the channel's low ratings; there has not been a noticeable bounce.
So this is how Noni Mozes runs his evil empire. He thinks he is the state's true master. He pulls all the strings until he reaches his desired destination. He has no interest in grave matters such as the Syrian tinderbox, the Iranian nuclear program and other smaller affairs. And lo and behold, despite all the scolding and ridicule Netanyahu has had to endure for his preoccupation with the Iranian nuclear program, Haaretz columnist Ari Shavit, who can be highly critical of Netanyahu, actually commended him this week. Netanyahu was right, he said, citing an Economist report. All the others who got so much media limelight, President Peres, former Mossad chief Meir Dagan, former Israel Defense Forces Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and former Israel Security Agency chief Yuval Diskin, have all been proven wrong. Big time.
But in Mozes' world, Netanyahu is probably never right; to hell with the facts.
Starting this week, Israel Hayom will have a weekly column that exposes more stories on Mozes' tilting mechanism. Let the readers judge for themselves.
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