The broadcast offices and studios of the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, in Jerusalem. Sign reads: “KAN” Jan. 31, 2023. Photo by Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90.
The CEO of Kan News, a news channel owned by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC), on Monday slammed reports of a list ranking the outlet’s journalists according to their stance toward the government. The list was allegedly shared in social media groups connected to the Likud party.
Kan CEO Golan Yochpaz blasted this as “an ugly and dangerous development.”
“The labeling and categorization of journalists mark another step in the erosion of free journalism and the weakening of Israeli democracy. However, I am confident that such McCarthyist acts will not deter Kan’s journalists and staff from continuing their work courageously and professionally.”
This recent development comes amid a push led by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi to shutter Israel’s public broadcaster and privatize the nation’s media landscape.
A corresponding bill passed a preliminary reading in the Knesset last week.
The law, sponsored by Likud Knesset Member Tally Gotliv, aims to close down the IPBC within two years and would require the government to issue a tender for the purchase of its television and radio networks, including Kan’s television and radio platforms.
The list that was circulated online ranks Kan’s journalists according to their support for the government on a scale from 1 to 5.
The Jerusalem Journalists’ Association strongly criticized the list, warning it could potentially pose personal risks to journalists. “This escalation crosses a dangerous line. We urge the Likud to distance itself from and condemn the list immediately.”
According to Karhi, the closure of IPBC is intended to further the economy’s liberalization. The minister stressed that there was “no need for the public to finance public broadcasting,” as “there are enough news channels in the private market, all of which have higher ratings than public broadcasting.”
“There’s no need for the public to pay hundreds of millions for something private channels already do better,” he said. Kan’s budget stands at around NIS 800 million ($220 million) a year, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Reports from 2018 indicated that Kan’s News Division had a budget nearly twice that of commercial news channels, such as Channel 12, which is often perceived as critical of the government
Opposition groups and press associations have described the government’s plans as an attack on Israel’s democracy and press freedom, suggesting they align with the proposed judicial reforms.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the bill “an attack on Israeli democracy, on Israeli freedom of expression, and on Israeli creativity.”
He said the government “decided to do what dark regimes do – first crush the free media and then go and deal with everything else.”
The Foreign Press Association (FPA) linked the move to the shutdown of the Qatari Al Jazeera network , which had published content that endangered Israeli soldiers and promoted pro-Hamas propaganda.
The government is “targeting” Israeli news outlets in a “vindictive and politically motivated” way, the FPA said, also mentioning the government’s decision to cut all ties with liberal and progressive media outlet Haaretz after its publisher called Palestinian terrorists “ freedom fighters .”
