How to Distort the News, In Hebrew

Yishai Goldflam/Tamar Sternthal
CAMERA/Media Analysis
23 August '10

A letter from the Im Tirtzu Israeli activist organization to the president of Ben-Gurion University addressing the alleged imbalance in the number of Zionist versus post-Zionist lecturers in the university's politics and government department has created a storm in the Israeli media. Covering the controversy, the news departments of two major Israeli media outlets, Ha'aretz and Ynet, recently engaged in a little literary license, apparently forgetting that their job is restricted to reporting the news.

Ha'aretz's Aug. 17 Hebrew headline screams:

Im Tirtzu to Ben-Gurion University: Fire Leftist Professors Or We'll Drive Away Donors

The English headline, in contrast, does not mention the firing of professors:

Im Tirtzu threatens boycott of Israeli university over 'anti-Zionist' bias.

Ynet's Hebrew headline the same day goes even further than its Ha'aretz counterpart, purporting to actually quote from the letter:

"If You Don't Fire Leftist Professors, We'll Drive Away Donors"

(Read full analysis)

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