A document ordering the media to censor news about Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip has been revealed for the first time. The directive prohibits Israeli military authorities from reporting to media on the ground on eight topics, ranging from Israelis held hostage by Hamas to weapons systems.
investigative news media <인터셉트>reported on the 23rd that it had obtained an official order in which Israel prohibited journalists from reporting on issues that included details such as hostage negotiations and weapons systems used by the military.
▲ Screen capture of “The Intercept Scoop: Israeli Military Censor Bans Reporting on the Following 8 Topics”
The title of the document is <작전 ‘철의 검’ 이스라엘 최고검열관 언론에 대한 지시> The order was signed by Brigadier General Koby Mandelblit, the Israeli army’s top censor. The Intercept says it was produced after the October 7 Hamas attack, considering the mention of “Iron Sword”, the name of the current Israeli military operation in Gaza.
The supreme censor specified eight topics in the document and announced a ban on reporting news in the media without prior censorship approval. Reports on the following topics were banned: weapons systems used by the Israel Defense Forces, contents of security cabinet meetings, and people held hostage by Hamas. Furthermore, all reports on operational matters, intelligence (“everything relating to the enemy’s intentions and capabilities”), missile attacks, cyber attacks, and reports of high-ranking officers visiting combat zones were also prohibited. In particular, all visits by the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense, the Chief of Staff, members of the Knesset (Parliament) and other high-ranking officials were prohibited.
▲Israeli document of instructions to the media by the Israeli chief censor of Operation Iron Sword
The censor added: “We recommend that all material dealing with the activities of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli security forces be subjected to censorship before broadcast. “We ask that employees, especially desk and field reporters, be updated with this letter,” he said.
The Intercept obtained this document from a journalist who received it from the Israeli military. The document is also available for viewing on the Israeli government website.
Permanent “Censor” under the Office of Military Intelligence
This alone highlights a violation of journalistic ethics.
Israel has a “censor” under the direction of the National Guard military intelligence who constantly censors the media. The censors are led by a chief censor appointed by the Minister of Defence. Foreign journalists working in Israel must obtain government permission, including a pledge to respect military censorship. To receive a journalist visa from the Israeli authorities, you must obtain approval from the press office of the Israeli authorities and sign a document agreeing to respect censorship.
It is criticized that the ban imposed by the military authorities on media reporting constitutes in itself a violation of journalistic ethics. Michael Omer-Man, director of Israel-Palestine research at the American human rights group Democracy Now in the Arab World (DAWN), told The Intercept: “This in itself could be a violation of the ethical guidelines of many media,” and added: “The average Israeli” can be understood simply by looking at the fact that they do not see the reports on what is happening to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
As voices calling for a ceasefire grow around the world, public opinion in support of ethnic cleansing in Israel is high and government censorship of the press can be seen as having something to do with it. According to a poll released on the 24th by the Israeli television channel Channel 14, 83% of Israeli Jews said they supported illegal settlements and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip. A Western journalist, who requested anonymity, responded to the Intercept’s question about why media companies don’t raise concerns about censorship, saying: “It’s because it’s shameful.”
Foreign media sign consent to media censorship
Many foreign media outlets, including AP, are responding to Israeli media censorship. In a 2006 report, the Associated Press said: “Like other organizations, it has agreed to censorship rules, which are a condition of its license to operate as a journalist in Israel.” The Washington Post said it would not disclose the information in response to media inquiry about whether it complied with Israeli censorship guidelines, and Reuters did not respond. The New York Times declared: “We do not subject reporting to military censorship.”
Kwon Soon-taek, general secretary of Citizens Solidarity for Media Reform, which is participating in the “Korean Civil Society Emergency Action in Solidarity with Palestine,” said: “The Council of Europe <분쟁 및 침략 상황에서의 저널리즘> The principles state that journalists must be guaranteed access to information. “The key is support,” she said, “It is problematic as it is clearly a permission system that requires the state to sign a censorship agreement to allow reporting. “In particular, the media exists to monitor war crimes, but this role is impeded.”
Deng Yaping, an activist with Palestine Peace Solidarity, said: “Israel has severe media censorship, even if it is not for this document. A clear example is when Yair Lapid, a politician who was Prime Minister of Israel, publicly called for biased reporting on broadcasts, saying: ‘Objective reporting benefits Hamas,’ he said. “The manipulated image of Israel will eventually be revealed in reality (through social media, etc.) It is known throughout the world.) “This reporting guideline is also nothing more than a ‘blind in the face’ approach,” he said.
2023-12-29 00:11:20
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