LONDON: The Israeli government is in the process of passing a controversial new media law that experts believe could pose a threat to the country’s media independence and freedom of the press.
The bill, which is expected to pass later this year, has been met with fierce opposition from some of Israel’s major television networks, who have banded together to defy the government’s proposed reforms.
Israel’s three main broadcasters, Keshet 12, Reshet 13 and Kan, announced on Thursday they had formed a group action to “prevent the expected harm to media independence and freedom of the press as a result of the reform.”
In a statement, the so-called Israeli TV Channels Forum said that the group will “use all the tools at its disposal to prevent the dangerous move of a hostile takeover of the Israeli media.”
The bill, championed by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, has raised concerns among the TV channels at a time when political tensions are all-time high in the country.
Israel has been rocked by mass public opposition to the government’s controversial judicial reforms in recent months. Analysts have warned that the changes could jeopardize the balance of power and further divide Israeli society.
The proposed media bill, which is seen by many as part of a broader anti-democratic reform agenda, would create a new regulatory body for the media and grant the government more control over the appointment of board members.
However, the networks said the bill would grant the government too much power to interfere with their editorial content and called for a revision of the law.
“The components of the reforms, alongside the context in which they are being proposed, make clear that their objective is a politicization and government control of regulatory bodies,” wrote Dr. Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler, in an explainer piece for the Israeli Democracy Institute.
Although there is a broad consensus that “reforms are indeed necessary,” any change should be “carefully considered,” she added.
The proposed reforms also include reducing local content quotas, eliminating the requirement for independent licenses for broadcasting news, and placing ratings data oversight in the hands of a government committee which the forum fears could have a catastrophic economic impact in the country’s small media market.
“The expected bill is intended to blatantly intervene in the economic sphere as well, by rewarding specific media outlets — that the government desires to reward — with specified benefits and exemptions from payment,” the forum said.
“At the same time, the bill confiscates the rights of free channels, eliminates the local production industry, and severely harms Israeli public broadcasting and the Israeli music industry.”
The forum initially released a joint statement last month opposing the bill. In response, Karhi’s department said the proposal is “explicitly designed to not intervene in any content while opening up the market.”
It said that the reform would actually increase the “aspect of freedom of speech” by enabling more players in the sector, claiming that those who oppose it are “media monopolies with a vested interest in keeping the market closed.”
