Channel 14: A Right Wing Voice Stands Out in Israel’s Left Wing Media Landscape

Channel 14: A Right Wing Voice Stands Out in Israel’s Left Wing Media Landscape

Edited by:  Fern Sidman

In the turbulent world of Israeli media, Channel 14 has emerged as a powerful and polarizing player. What began as a niche outlet with a focus on Jewish heritage has rapidly transformed into a major influencer in a country deeply divided along political, social, and ethnic lines, as was recently reported in the New York Times. This conservative channel has unabashedly aligned itself with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government, much like how Fox News supported President Donald J. Trump in the United States. Channel 14’s meteoric rise in ratings can be attributed to its unapologetic stance and unwavering support for the government’s controversial policies, the NYT report said.

Channel 14 does not shy away from its right-wing leanings. It champions Prime Minister Netanyahu’s coalition, one of the most right-wing and religiously conservative in Israel’s history. The NYT report indicated that while other news outlets in the country lean left, Channel 14 proudly proclaims its position on the right, a fact that resonates with a particular segment of the Israeli population.

Hallel Bitton Rosen, the channel’s military correspondent, succinctly sums up its approach, stating, “There are three other channels broadcasting news, and they are on the left of the map. We are on the right. The difference is we don’t hide it,” according to the NYT report. This transparency has drawn supporters who have long felt marginalized by mainstream media.

Prime-time ratings for its flagship programs have, on occasion, outstripped those for Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan, as well as for mainstream commercial channels, the NYT reported.

Channel 14 appeals to a broad and diverse audience that includes traditional Jews, the growing settler population in Judea and Samaria and Israelis who reside in regions far removed from the prosperous tech hub of Tel Aviv. As was reported by the NYT, these viewers feel that the channel represents their values and provides a voice that has been largely absent in mainstream Israeli media.

For example, Geula Naveh, a dedicated Channel 14 viewer, believes that the channel provides her with the unvarnished truth. She describes herself as “addicted” to its content and watches it morning and night. Her son, Nir Naveh, a financial risk manager, shares her sentiments. Both have experienced discrimination as Mizrahi Jews of Middle Eastern descent in a society historically dominated by Ashkenazi Jews of European heritage, as was reported by the NYT. They see Channel 14 as a reflection of the societal changes taking place in Israel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s relationship with Channel 14 has raised some eyebrows. He has frequently criticized the mainstream Israeli media for allegedly persecuting him and his family, even as he has largely avoided interviews with Israeli channels. Instead, he has given seven interviews to Channel 14 since October, a fact that has raised questions about his promotion of both the channel and Watergen, a company owned by the Mirilashvili family, who control Channel 14, as was noted in the NYT article.

Yitzchak Mirilashvili, the controlling shareholder of Channel 14, has investments in VK.com, a major Russian social network. The NYT report indicated that he is the son of Michael Mirilashvili, an Israeli billionaire. Netanyahu publicly praised Watergen’s technology at an AIPAC conference in 2018, the same year regulatory changes allowed Channel 14 to transition into a news channel. The NYT report claimed that critics have argued that these connections raise ethical concerns and suggest a degree of government intervention.

Channel 14’s programming is marked by its confrontational style. Programs like “The Patriots” feature heated debates that resemble the passionate exchanges found on social media platforms, as was stated in the NYT report.  Critics argue that the channel presents a one-sided view of reality and lacks dedication to facts. Media watchdog group Bodkim found that the channel broadcasted numerous false or misleading claims, including conspiracy theories aimed at delegitimizing government protesters.

In August of this year, a report by David Isaac of the Jewish News Syndicate web site indicated that the Israel Competition Authority confirmed that it received a request from Channel 14 to investigate possible illegal coordination by major Israeli businesses to drop the station from their advertising budgets in an effort to shutter it.

Several companies have banded together to “break the channel financially” because they disapprove of its political positions, the station’s owners said, calling it an assault on free speech.

In a letter to the station’s employees in August, Netanel Siman Tov, a representative of the station’s owners, wrote: “A phenomenon in which capitalists use economic terror to limit freedom of expression and impose a political agenda on journalists belongs to dark regimes. It has no place in a democracy, of which a free press is its lifeblood.”

“It’s our intention to use all the legal tools at our disposal to bring justice to everyone who was involved in the attempted cancellation of the channel,” Siman Tov added, as was reported by JNS.

The catalyst for the boycott was controversial remarks made on July 30 by guest panelist Ari Shamai on the channel’s popular “The Patriots” program. Shamai said that the assassin who murdered Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 should be freed from prison.

Although the station swiftly banned Shamai, announcing 45 minutes after the program aired that “in light of the seriousness of the matter, Shamai will no longer be invited to appear on the channel’s programs,” Israeli food and beverage company Strauss Group announced the next day it was pulling its ads from the station, the JNS report said.

JNS also reported that in justifying its decision, Strauss said that the pundit’s statement was one of “various offensive statements, repeated over and over again, recently in the programs broadcast on the channel.”

Asaf Nissan, deputy editor of Channel 14’s “Evening News,” told JNS, “They were looking for an excuse to cut ties with the channel. The affiliation has been troublesome for them.”

Other brands followed Strauss, including subsidiary Strauss Water Ltd., which sells mini-water bars under the Tami 4 brand, Delek Motors, which imports Mazda, BMW and Ford cars, and Caesarstone, a maker of quartz kitchen surfaces, the report added.

Channel 14 said the three companies conspired together.

“The Competition Authority absolutely should investigate,” Professor Yaron Zelekha, director of Accountancy Studies at Ono Academic College and former accountant general of Israel, told JNS, adding that the companies are engaging in an illegal act.

“Any company has the right to advertise where it likes, but it can’t coordinate a ban,” he said. “That’s forbidden under subsection (a)(3) of Israel’s Economic Competition Law, which says you can’t divide up a market. Here, it’s the television advertising market.

“If you are Strauss, or Bank Hapoalim, or another big player with significant market power in the procurement of television advertising services, coordination is prohibited. It’s a cartel,” Zelekha said, as was reported by JNS.

The Jewish Press reported that last October, the chairman of Israel’s Central Election Commission, Judge Yitzhak Amit, rejected the petition of then interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party, which demanded that Channel 14 be declared an “election activist body” that encourages voting for the Likud. Yesh Atid was compelled to compensate Channel 14 and the Likud party for their legal expenses (NIS 20,000, or $5,500).

Judge Amit noted that “the media have an important position when it comes to exercising freedom of political expression, especially during an election period. Freedom of political expression is an integral part of free and fair elections, and through it, voters can get an impression of the marketplace of ideas and make an informed decision when they come to cast their ballots, “ as was reported by the Jewish Press.

Speaking to the Times of Israel, veteran broadcast journalist Yaakov Ahimeir, 83, who served as a presenter on radio station Kol Yisrael and Channel 1 since the early 1970s, and still appears on the air occasionally said, “The other channels have completely left-wing tendencies. They may have had right-wing guests, but the right-wing public felt excluded from these channels. That’s why establishing ‘Now 14’ is a necessity. It gives a wider view of issues in Israel.”

“A lot of people who identify with the values of the channel — patriotism, love of the land, heritage and Judaism — felt their voice was missing from the media,” said Bitton Rosen, the military correspondent for Channel 14, the NYT report said. “Channel 14 entered that vacuum.”

Bitton Rosen, who used to work in the restaurant business, added: “If you go to a restaurant, there’s a menu. We put our menu at the entrance. Whoever wants to eat is welcome.”