The reduction of media independence in Israel is a disaster for democracy

The major print and online media channels in Israel are gradually disappearing; soon, we will be left only with the newspaper Haaretz and a few brave journalists here and there. This is not an exaggeration but a stark reality.

Yesterday, I participated in a conference on "The Media Coup" initiated by the Zulat Institute in collaboration with Haaretz newspaper. I was astonished to hear harsh facts and testimonies about the harm to the media, which is the watchdog of democracy. I also learned what lies behind the stories of senior media professionals who personally experienced the government's takeover of the media. I felt that we are indeed racing towards becoming a banana republic. And I am not only talking about the government's attempts to control the major media outlets in the country but also about how the media responds and behaves following the restriction of its steps.

Some examples illustrating the harm to the media:

- Senior and well-known journalists were subjected to heavy pressure to influence the content they wrote to align with Netanyahu and the government's line.

- Some journalists faced threats, some direct and some implicit.

- Threats and pressures were made to close television channels, both public and private, manifested in withholding budgets, denying assistance and benefits, and even boycotts.

- Attempts were made by the Prime Minister to influence and take over media outlets. Some of these attempts appear in the indictments currently being tried in his cases. Despite the filing of indictments, these actions continue to this day.

- Various television channels gave extensive platforms to the appearances of the Minister of National Security, Ben Gvir, who is himself known as a convicted felon. His numerous appearances in the media further aided the rise of his popularity among the right-wing bloc.

- The closure of the "Al Jazeera" channel is also part of silencing voices, contrary to freedom of the press, and prevents the public from being exposed to news and facts not published in the Israeli media.

- Another harm to field reporting is caused by the deliberate physical elimination of dozens of Gazan and foreign journalists and reporters during the war, a blatant violation of international law.

- Mainstream Israeli media completely ignore tens of thousands of Palestinian civilian casualties, including a large number of children, women, and the elderly.

- Israeli media do not include the Arab society in the media discourse and do not provide a platform for journalists from the Arab community. Public representatives or Arab citizens are excluded from expressing their opinions and participating in various panels. At most, they are featured in programs about cooking and delicious food. If Arab citizens are mentioned, they are presented negatively due to their views and expressions of concern about the killing of innocent people in Gaza. Their statements are considered incitement and identification with terrorism.

Written by: Tamim Abu Khait