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Monitoring the Hebrew Media
Through monitoring individual cases of coverage and sending letters of reaction to journalists, editors and to the Israeli Press Council (IPC), I'lam monitors the general trend of the Israeli media. Individual and concrete cases of misinformation, bias by emphasis of one side in the story provide I'lam concrete data from which we can also point out to general policies and trends in the Hebrew media regarding Palestinian citizens.
Reactions
During the past year, I’lam’s Media-Monitoring project reported on a number of news items that contained misinformation and entailed poor media treatment of the Arab society in Israel. Typically our responses protest against unfair and biased coverage against the Palestinian society.
Some examples of reactions sent by I’lam to journalists and editors in the Hebrew media:
In August 2007 to the journalist Dan Margalit after he verbally attacked MK Esam Makhoul for his opinion about the State of Israel’s responsibility in the killings of four Arab citizens in Shefa’amr in August 2005. Again, Mr. Makhoul was not provided the space to give further explanations.To Ynet in November 2007, for its coverage of Nizar Hassan’s case. Mr. Nizar Hassan is a Media lecturer at Sapir College. One of his students entered his class dressed in military uniform and carrying a weapon. Mr. Hassan asked him not to show up in class being dressed in such a way, and called on the student to act as a civilian instead of military personnel while in class at the College. Again, Ynet presented the case in a biased way, presenting the facts as if an Arab teacher prevented a Jewish student to attend classes. The letter of complaint sent by I’lam to Ynet has also been sent to the Israeli Press Council. The institution recognized I’lam’s request as right and fair and sent the case to a Court. The judgment is still pending.
To Reshet Bet in March 2008, for its biased coverage of a case involving Al Jazeera television. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided to boycott the Qatari station which they considered as being pro-Palestinian. It is interesting to mention that prior to this boycott development Al Jazeera’s journalists have not been protected on Israeli territory and have been subjected to attacks from Israeli civilians without any reaction from the police. Reshet Bet produced a news item on the topic, involving its correspondent in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Iran Zinger. In it, Reshet Bet employed a piece from Al-Jazeera which it inaccurately translated from Arabic to Hebrew. I’lam has sent a letter to Reshet Bet’s ombudsman who has the duty to answer as Reshet Bet is a public station. An answer is still pending.
• To Channel 2 in March 2008, concerning a newscast report on the Islamic Movement political party in Israel. For this news item, the Channel 2’s journalist used facts from the trial before the judgment was released although this is forbidden under Israeli law.
• To Yedioth Aharonot and to its military correspondent in January 2008, who asked the Israeli government to reinforce its collective punishment on the Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Unreported Issues & Marketing Issues
This initative aims to draw attention to newsworthy issues and events that receive little or no coverage in the Hebrew media. There has been a partial response by Hebrew media outlets, and some previously ignored stories were later covered, including:
• The coverage of the memorial march held every year in August, commemorating the ‘Shefa’amr massacre’, where on August 4 2005 an IDF soldier who had deserted from the army opened fire on civilians on a bus, killing 4 Arabs citizens and wounding dozens of others.
• About Arab workers’ rights, advocated for by the NGO Sawt Il-Amel (The Laborer’s Voice) in June 2007 regarding the Wisconsin unemployment program that was setup by the Israeli Government in the cities of Nazareth, Jerusalem and other areas. This program attributes work to the unemployed, which the unemployed cannot refuse, so that the unemployed continue to receive welfare payments. Labour organizations decided to demonstrate in Nazareth in order to raise awareness on the topic and attract the media’s attention. I’lam provided them a workshop on 18 June 2007 about the way to deal with the media and how to market their event.
In February 2008 a demonstration was held by Arab citizens after the decision of the Attorney General Mazuz not to judge the Israeli police for the killing of 12 Palestinian citizens (and 1 Palestinian from Gaza) during the October 2000 demonstrations. I'lam sent a general statement to all the newspapers’ editors and TV’s general directors pointing out their lack of responsibility in the non-coverage of democratic demonstrations in which about 20,000 Palestinians in Israel took part in which they were attacked by the police and 12 of their citizens were killed, violating the right of the Israeli society to know about the pressing issues faced by their Palestinian counterparts.
• On 8 March 2008, Women’s Day, I’lam organized and marketed to Hebrew and Arabic media a conference for the Palestinian Women’s Union, in order to raise awareness on the creation of an Arab women’s trade union and the status of women workers.
Tours for Journalists & Editors
Tours are still an excellent tool for I’lam to provide journalists with alternative positions, attitudes, information, as well as to provide opportunities for Hebrew journalists to gain primary sources and contacts in areas and among communities with which they are unfamiliar and/or may struggle to access. Exposing Hebrew media journalists to places and problems often overlooked in Israeli media is a very effective hands-on way of introducing the subjects raised into the Israeli media discourse. As a result of tours held in 2007, there has been publication of an average of five articles/ electronic media reports on the subject matter of the tour per tour.
These tours proved to have added value in that they promote discussions between Arab and Jewish journalists. We plan to organize approximately 3-4 tours per year in 2009-2011, focusing on different topics deemed as particularly relevant to social and political developments by I’lam or according to requests of communities and journalists. | 
