To Ring Out The Old
IT S TEVIE. ' • And Bring In The New.
sized, however, that he in-
tended to uphold Ma'ariv's
reputation as a "responsible"
newspaper and argued that
there is sometimes a need to
refrain from publishing infor-
mation that could harm na-
tional security.
The perception that the
country's press is being taken
over by foreign invaders has
created a backlash in Israel. A
phrase often heard these days,
especially in conversations
with leftists, is "cultural im-
perialism." Yossi Sarid, a lef-
tist member of the Knesset,
recently proposed legislation
that would forbid the sale of
Israeli media properties to
foreign companies. His pro-
posal, which found little sup-
port in the Knesset, reflects a
certain "nativist" attitude to
be found among liberals and
conservatives alike. It might
be summed up as follows: out-
siders shouldn't be telling us
Israelis, who risk our lives
defending our country, how to
think and what to do.
Leftists like Sarid are con-
cerned that, with the shift to
the right in Israeli politics, the
acquisition of the country's
major papers by powerful
foreign businessmen who side
with the Likud will help to
silence the few remaining
voices of opposition to the
government's policies in the
occupied territories.
While concurring with the
argument that people like
Maxwell and Genger will
probably use their presence in
the Israeli media to advance
their political agendas, Dan
Margalit, a respected Israeli
columnist for Ha'aretz, has
argued that it would be hypo-
critical on the part of the
Israelis to ask for financial
and political support from
Jews abroad and, at the same
time, prevent foreigners from
investing in the Israeli media.
And he raises a good question:
If Israeli publishers have a
right to tilt their publications
in a certain political direction,
should not foreign publishers
have the same right?
Margalit's final point is per-
haps the most persuasive: if
Genger or Maxwell turn their
publications into the mouth-
piece of a political party or
figure, they will lose readers
and have a hard time attract-
ing good reporters.
Leon T Hadar has served as
the New York correspondent
for The Jerusalem Rost and Al
Hamishar and as the
Washington bureau chief of
Hadashot. He currently teaches
political science at The
American University in
Washington, D.C. This piece is
reprinted from the November/
December 1989 issue of The
Columbia Journalism Review.
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