Slippery Slope

A new reporter, Ze’ev Schneider, was recently appointed to the news division of the national radio broadcaster, Kol Yisrael, without being assigned a regular field of coverage.  Schneider has no prior experience in journalism, and did not pass a journalism course.  Schneider’s father is Nehemia Schneider, a Likud activist who serves as a paid advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

(Hebrew – The Marker)

The Association of Rape Crisis Centers submitted a complaint to David Regev, ombudsman of the The Second Television and Radio Authority following advice given by psychologist Varda Raziel Jacont on her radio program to a female listener who wrote about being sexually assaulted by her partner. Raziel Jacont’s response to the story was that the listener was being “egocentric and hysterical” and advised her to “loosen up sexually”.

(Hebrew)

The “Kol Berama” radio station broadcasted the campaign opening ceremony of Shas party despite several warnings that the law forbids political propaganda to be broadcast before the elections.

(Hebrew)

A recent report by the Reform Center for Religion and State showed a 66% increase in reported incidents of exclusion of women. The number of conventions carried out by public entities which enforced segregation doubled, and incidents at cemeteries have tripled. The report notes that exclusion spread to airlines, health clinics, voting booths, radio stations, conferences and public events, private businesses and billboards.

The Second Authority for Television and Radio approved the program schedule of Ultra-Orthodox radio station Kol Barama in which women are allowed to speak in just 2 out of 168 weekly broadcast hours.

Israel Police and the Communications Ministry cut off the broadcasts of the Kol Hashalom (Voice of Peace) radio station, claiming that they are pirate broadcasts, even though the station broadcasts from Ramallah and has a valid license from the Palestinian Authority.

Menachem Toker, a radio host at ”Israel Waves” private radio, harassed the 12 year old daughter of Deputy State Prosecutor, Mr. Shai Nitzan, on the phone. This was despite the fact that Mr. Nitzan and his wife were not at home, and although the girl said that at the beginning of the conversation.

(Hebrew)