Is The Foreign Press Too Easy On Israel?

We are often asked why HonestReporting monitors the media in more than 190 countries, but Israel is not one of them.

We do not focus on Israeli press — either in English or in Hebrew — unless they make an egregious error when used as a source for international media. There are a number of reasons for this:

• The critical free press in Israel is a mark of a healthy democracy.
• It’s expected that the Israeli press would have an outsized focus on what happens in Israel, so it’s not discriminatory when that happens.
• Our focus is on the rest of the world. When mistakes are made in articles intended for a foreign audience, it can severely impact how events are understood by consumers of international news media. Those are the misperceptions we try to correct because maintaining its image abroad is absolutely crucial to Israel’s long-term security.

Bibi And The “Easy” Foreign Press

Since coming back to power on December 29, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given 22 interviews to the foreign press and only four to Israeli media outlets, including the English language Jerusalem Post.

The explanation given by his media adviser Topaz Luk is “The American media lets you speak. You start a sentence and finish it.”

Netanyahu’s critics, on the other hand, accuse him of speaking to the foreign press to bypass the Israeli media.

“By giving interviews about domestic issues overseas, Netanyahu can often get away with inaccuracies, and sometimes even alternative facts, Haaretz diplomatic reporter Jonathan Lis wrote.

In a podcast last week, former Netanyahu spokesman Aviv Bushinsky said “It’s the easiest for Netanyahu in foreign media because they don’t ask tough questions.”

Veteran Yediot Aharonot diplomatic correspondent Itamar Eichner went further, writing that “[Netanyahu’s] interviews on international outlets allow him to avoid hard questions primarily because the interviewers often lack knowledge of Israeli law and familiarity with recent events, and they have little interest in questions about matters critical to Israelis such as the rising cost of living.”

HonestReporting stays out of politics. We don’t defend or justify policies or decisions of the current Israeli government – or any government. Not even its media strategy.

But our expertise with coverage of Israel by the foreign media enables us to analyze those claims with perspective.

So Is The Foreign Media Making It Easy On Bibi?

Most of the international journalists who’ve interviewed the prime minister are knowledgeable about Israel and cannot be manipulated. He gave interviews to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and Jake Tapper, NBC’s Raf Sanchez and Bloomberg’s Francine Lacqua, none of whom made it easy on him.

Netanyahu was also interviewed by Fox’s Mark Levin, who praised him and Israel throughout the interview, mocked the prime minister’s critics and was not tough at all.

Why Does It Matter?

Perception matters. Nowhere is that more true than for Israel and Israeli leaders. When the foreign press so often spins a narrative about Israel that is blatantly dishonest, its leaders should be allowed to respond by making Israel’s case.

The foreign press is far from easy on Israel, and that is why the media monitoring of HonestReporting is so critical for Israel’s future.

So long as events in Israel continue to have an outsized impact on international media, the world’s top journalists should be engaging with and holding those Israeli leaders accountable. And, HonestReporting will be there every step of the way to hold the international media accountable.

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