In three recent posts, we’ve investigated a claim made by The Economist that the prime minister’s office approves headlines at the Israeli newspaper, Israel Hayom. Here’s the relevant quote, from an article published at The Economist on April 8th.
Yisrael Hayom is a freesheet owned by Sheldon Adelson, a casino mogul and supporter of Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister. Its headlines are routinely approved by the prime minister’s office.
Whilst it is of course true that Israel Hayom is staunchly pro-Bibi, the suggestion that Netanyahu’s staff literally approves headlines at the newspaper is a claim we’ve never previously come across and – as we’ve noted – Israel Hayom and the prime minister’s office have strongly denied the allegations. The Economist has thus far stood by the accusation which they claim is based on information from a reliable source.
Within the last couple of days, Israeli media outlets have covered the story.
Haaretz (in English and Hebrew) and i24 News published stories yesterday, and Times of Israel published an article today. Additionally, The Israel Democracy Institute’s Hebrew-language publication on journalism, The Seventh Eye, posted about the story.
(Presspectiva, CAMERA’s Hebrew affiliate, was the first to publish a post in the Israeli media on the row. Additionally, Presspectiva researchers assisted UK Media Watch in the initial story.)
Finally, we’ve recently learned that the prime minister’s office sent an official complaint to Economist editors.
We’ll continue to update you as this story develops.