Media In Israel Research Articles

What characterize the rumors circulating on social media in Israel in the first wave of COVID-19?

The outbreak of COVID-19 has transformed our daily lives, raising concerns about transmission, infection, and recovery rates. This has led to a proliferation of rumors. Online social media platforms have played a significant role in fueling the spread of these rumors. To better understand the character of rumors that circulated on social media during the initial months of the COVID-19 crisis, we collected and analyzed the content of around 100 major rumors, collected in Israel mainly from websites that track of the dissemination of rumors. We found that the majority of rumors focused on health-related issues. In addition: (1) The majority of rumors focused on ways to prevent contracting the virus or how to recover from it, with a significant emphasis on the body and health of individuals. There were significantly fewer rumors that addressed more “distant” issues, such as the origin of the virus. (2) Many rumors cited the name of a researcher or institution, either in Israel or abroad, arguably to enhance the credibility of the rumor. (3) While the number of rumors that aimed to downplay the severity of the pandemic (e.g., claims that government institutions intentionally exaggerated the threat, in order to control the population) was relatively small, it was double the number of rumors that inflated the significance of the pandemic (i.e., that it may be more severe and fatal than it appears).

Sovremennye russkoyazychnye SMI Izrailya

The article examines the development of modern Israeli Russian-language mass media: the history and prerequisites for the emergence, the main mission, the features of existence in the 21st century. The results of the study allow us to conclude that the media, using new media platforms for their work, have retained one of the important positions in the era of digitalization of the media industry.

“The Torah Shelters and Saves”: covid-19 Pandemic and the Framing of Health Risks in Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Religious Media

Abstract Despite growing recognition of the important role which culture and religion play in risk communication and framing theory, research on framing in religious media is limited. In the context of health risks, framing remains virtually unexplored. In an attempt to address this gap, this study looks at risk reporting in religious media. By means of a content analysis of 331 news reports and articles published in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious media in Israel during the covid-19 outbreak in Israel, this study serves the dual purpose of offering the empirical evaluation of the “quality of risk information” as well as the framing of health-risks in religious media. Drawing upon the constructivist approach to framing theory, the study’s findings shed light on the mediation of frames through cultural-religious prisms and its effects on the quality of risk information. In addition, the findings provide a conceptual basis for comparative analysis across various cultural and religious groups.

Salafi-Jihadi Online Communication in Israel: Forging a Community Through an “Enclave” Mindset

Abstract The article explores the ways in which online posting by contemporary Salafi-jihadis in Israel create an enclave mentality that serves to transform Salafi-jihadis into an insular community. Because Salafi-jihadis can no longer by law advocate active jihad on social media in Israel, their posts focus on three Islamic legal themes: The dichotomy between God’s devotees and God’s enemies; the untrustworthiness of Muslim rulers, official Muslim scholars, and “impious” Muslim associations like the Muslim Brothers; and the obligation to apply the doctrine of takfīr against Muslims and deviant Muslim rulers. Although seemingly innocuous, social media posts encourage Salafi-jihadis to take actions that result in their segregation from other Muslims in Israel, particularly Salafi-Taqlidis, and, at the same time, create and maintain a networked community of like-minded individuals willing to implement the Salafi-jihadi creed when the time is ripe.

‘Amphibians’: media figures on social networks and traditional media in Israel

ABSTRACT Digital platforms have become a major tool for media figures. The Internet offers the media essential tools, most notably authentic and accessible sources of information and the absence of censorship. Digital media provides media personalities with a platform that is free and fast where they can express themselves freely without ‘gatekeepers.’ Drawing on Deuze’s five-dimensional model of journalism, this article shows that for the content transfer platform, the network is characterised by a young audience, leading to more consumer confidence due to its authentic nature. It also found that platform selection relates directly to content and that media people use the network to promote agendas. In addition, their influence on social networks is greater because they are bi-directional and allow for audience reaction. As for the media figure’s personality, it was found that the success of media figures does not involve the quality of the content but the admiration of the audience. In addition, it emerged from the interviews that technological determinism affects media figure activities such that ‘the medium is the message’ – type of media dictates choice of the content transfer platform, content, and media figure personality.

The Image of the Kindergarten Teacher in the Israeli Media

Summary Recognition of the importance of early childhood education is increasing. Many reports published in Israel and around the world deal with the powerful and critical impact of this era on individuals and society. In contrast, the professional image of the kindergarten teacher in Israel is seen as being as low-status as in many countries. This professional image influences the choice of teaching profession and the conditions of admission in teacher training colleges. The low-status image is influenced by many publications in the Israeli media. To say these publications are unflattering to the profession and to kindergarten teachers would be an understatement. In this article, I will try to answer the question: How is the kindergarten teacher’s image expressed in publications about kindergarten and kindergarten teachers in the media in Israel? The research tools are ten articles with the kindergarten tag on the news content sites Walla and Mako as of June 2019. The method chosen is content analysis, a research technique for objectively describing media content through which messages can be identified. In so doing, I will draw conclusions about what can be done to improve publications about the profession and at the same time to improve the image of the kindergarten teacher in society.

Youngsters’ Opinions and Attitudes toward the Use of Electric Bicycles in Israel

Throughout Israel, unlike other countries, a growing use of electric bicycle (EB) by youngsters (below 18) has been observed, accompanied by a drastic increase in the number of related injuries. This phenomenon is widely discussed by various authorities and media in Israel, whilst its characteristics are actually unknown. Existing literature on the use of EBs is limited. Thus, an opinion survey of young EB riders was conducted, with the aim of recording and analyzing the characteristics and general perception of teen EB users and to explore their behaviors. The results show that using EBs increases the frequency and the distance of teens’ daily commute. The use of EB improves mobility independence, allowing for less reliance on parents and a widening of potential destinations. In addition, the results indicate that a substantial percent of the teens are not familiar with the legal regulations concerning EBs having been involved in various dangerous behaviors. Though the overall preference is to use bicycle paths, the common acceptable alternative is pedestrian sidewalks. These results suggest that a combination of road safety education and training with an improvement of existing infrastructure are the best way to tackle this new and widespread phenomenon.

The Power of the Single Story: Surrogacy and Social Media in Israel

ABSTRACTAnalyzing interviews with 20 Jewish-Israeli gestational surrogates who gave birth in 2014–2016, I examine the common narrative structure of their personal stories and the way that this becomes what Adichie calls a “single story”. This idealized, romanticized, utopian story includes: 1. an intimate bond between surrogate and intended parents; 2. an epic birth; 3. a happy ending, told publicly. After illustrating this structure, I present the consequences of this single story for surrogates whose experiences diverged from, yet were constantly compared to, the “perfect journey” narrative. Anthropologists of reproduction must pay careful attention to digital storytelling as a new reproductive technology.

Compare globally, interpret locally: international assessments and news media in Israel

ABSTRACTIsrael is one of the early adopters of international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) and it has participated in all but one assessment since the mid-1990s. However, we know very little about the reception of ILSAs in the Israeli context. To address this gap, I use a sample of news stories from two daily newspapers: Yedioth Ahronoth and Ha’aretz (n = 173). Taken together, these newspapers provide a ‘window’ to the public discourse about ILSAs in Israel. The analyses reveal three key patterns. First, public discourse about ILSAs developed gradually, and not immediately after the release of the first few reports. Second, policy makers are more active in the public discourse about ILSAs than other actors (e.g., students, teachers, parents, and education scholars). Third, public discourse about ILSAs constructed an achievement crisis that calls for change in policy/practice. These patterns facilitated the institutionalisation of ILSAs in the Israeli context, beyond the contribution of transitional organisations.

The Anti-Social Network? Framing Social Media in Wartime

Numerous studies address the uses and perceived effects of social media, but a scholarly void exists about how it is framed in the mainstream media. This study fills this void using a content analysis of news items that included references to social media in Israel’s six daily Hebrew-language printed newspapers during the Israel–Gaza war (2014). The papers framed social media primarily as spaces of hate speech and distribution of rumors. Additional salient themes referred to social media as alternative media channels by politicians and celebrities and as arenas of public diplomacy. Social media was rarely portrayed as platforms to orchestrate collective action or to meet the enemy.

The ripple effects of a partisan, free newspaper: Israel Hayom as disruptive media actor

During its 10 years of existence, the free newspaper Israel Hayom (Israel today) has come to play a pivotal role in Israeli national politics and to serve as what we define as a disruptive media actor among other, commercial, daily newspapers in Israel. The seemingly innocuous daily newspaper, founded in 2007 and distributed widely, has, since 2011, become the most widely read newspaper in Israel. We suggest that Israel Hayom be viewed as a “disruptive” actor in the areas of politics and the media in Israel. Adapted from Christensen’s (1997) concept of disruptive technology or innovation, we define as disruptive a media actor that significantly impacts the field of politics and media economy, essentially forcing a change, or changes, in the “rules of the game”. While this model is currently unique to Israel, it is likely that under similar conditions further cases shall present themselves in the future.

Sleeping with the ‘Enemy’: Mixed Marriages in the Israeli Media

ABSTRACTIn this article, I analyze how the mainstream media in Israel, increasingly shaped by social media, constructs a story about a mixed marriage between an Israeli woman, who was raised as Jewish and had converted to Islam, and a Israeli Muslim-Arab man. Referring to 57 items published mainly in August 2014 (during the Third Gaza War), a “human rights,” a “Romeo and Juliette,” and an “assimilation” discourses are identified. Mixedness appears as part of the democratization of Israel in the first and second discourses; in the third one, mixedness appears as a threat to the Jewish state. The growing impact of the new media is also referred to.

‘Leave us alone!’: Representation of social work in the Russian immigrant media in Israel

This article examines the representation of social workers in the Russian-language immigrant press in Israel. Social work is a public service that did not exist in the USSR and most Russian immigrants were not familiar with it before immigration. This lack of basic knowledge underscores the importance of reliable representation of this major public service in the immigrant media. Nevertheless, the findings show that by taking the immigrants’ side under any circumstances, while distorting the function of the social work services, the immigrant press fails to fulfill its socialization role and does not facilitate its readers’ integration in their new society.

Digital Militarism [Book Reviews

The authors of this book analyze how social media have been used to reinforce the militaristic policies of the Israeli government; they also examine social media usage by individual members of the Israeli military, and by supporters of Israel, within the country and internationally. Focusing their analysis on the years 2008–2014, a time when “…digital militarism moved from the margins of Israeli society to its center,” the authors provide numerous examples of how social media have been utilized to promote a dominant discourse that was pro-militarism, while presenting the occupation as both normal and necessary. Using numerous postings found on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, the authors demonstrate how social media in Israel are an essential tool in the ongoing war against the Palestinians. As a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) once acknowledged, “Computers and keyboards are the weapons, Facebook and Twitter are the battlefields. It is there we fight, each and every day.” The authors show how social media serve a number of purposes in this cyber-battle. But despite the authors’ good intentions, the book has some flaws. For one, it is very short — only about 100 pages of content. For another, despite the authors’ assertions that they wanted to do a scholarly study, the tone of the book is often polemical. It is very clear where the sympathies of Kuntsman and Stein lie — they rarely miss an opportunity to criticize Israel, whether locating its origins in “colonial fictions” or minimizing the times that Israel really was under threat from its Arab neighbors. In page after page, one sees Israel at its worst, with little context provided for why the government or its Jewish citizens felt so beleaguered; lacking any information about what the Arab world’s social media were saying, the reader is left with the impression that Israelis are callous and bigoted, and they hate Palestinians for no apparent reason. Thus, while the material in this book may indeed be accurate, the examples may have been compiled in a way that confirms what the authors already believe. That said, there can be no denying that digital militarism exists and is now a real factor in war; nor can it be denied that many governments use social media to inflame and manipulate, or to hide unpleasant truths and shape the discourse.

Public relations activity in the new media in Israel 2012: Changing relationships

Technological developments bring with them perceptual changes that have forced public relations (PR) practitioners, who mediate between customers and consumers, to seek new ideas and directions. This research study examines the changes that have taken place in the work routines and tactics of PR practitioners in Israel, 2012 in light of the expanding use of the social media and the transition from traditional media usage to various combinations of traditional and new media activity. Changes in work routines and tactics were examined by means of quantitative content analysis, the internet visibility of 453 PR agencies in Israel and 23 interviews with PR personnel. The findings indicate the following: (1) the internet visibility of the PR agencies examined was low, and less than a quarter were active in the social platforms that were defined. (2) Differences were found between PR agencies active in the field of new media and those who implement traditional technologies regarding contact with clients, worker characteristics, means of conveying messages regarding clients, etc. (3) Specific tactics have been developed for implementing new media, such as responses over the net as part of crisis management and the use of a company blog to reinforce the client's brand. (4) The major reasons for not using the new media are fear of these innovations, established expertise in traditional media and a segment of customers that block attempts to implement new media. (5) The potential inherent in social media is not exploited by most Israeli PR agencies.

Book Review: God, Jews and the Media: Religion and Israel’s Media, by Yoel Cohen

God, Jews and the Media: Religion and Israel's Media. Yoel Cohen. New York: Routledge, 2012. 258 pp. $135.00 hbk.This is a book to have on hand if you are trying to fathom the media situation (and even the political situation) in Israel. There is some serious reading here, but with enough anecdotes spread about to lighten the load.The author wants to show how the Jewish religion and the Jews of Israel have been influenced by the media age. He also wants to show how the media in Israel have been influenced by religion, which turns out to be a more interesting topic overall. Everyone, of course, has been influenced in one way or another by the media, but Cohen's book shows how religion has a strong influence on Israel's media and through the media (where he says most Israelis get much of their information about religious groups) on Israeli society in general. This influence may be growing. There may be a loss of reli- gious identity in the Western democracies (particularly in Europe), but the author sees an actual growth of religion in much of the world, especially in Israel. A huge majority of Israel's Jews feel at least some attachment to Jewish tradition. More and more young Jews identify themselves with the most conservative Jewish group, the Haredim.Cohen suggests God, Israel, and lsrael's media are intertwined, especially in the minds of the Haredim (or Pious Ones). In the preface, he not so subtly suggests that these most conservative religious elements in Israel will go to any lengths to use the media to promote a religion-based society despite the hopes of the nation's founders for a secular society. Cohen uses the tale of a highly promoted media interview of God by Israel's Chief Rabbi (a political appointee, he notes!) that fails to come off when God does not show up. Cohen is showing some authorial courage here as conservative reaction to much milder comments on religion have brought harassment and even physical attacks.The book focuses on the influence of the Haredim. Cohen justifies this by pointing out that with only 9% of the population, the Haredim get 43% of media coverage devoted to religion. Religious stories with a political connection get especially heavy coverage. Cohen suggests that the ultraorthodox Haredim are media stars because their distinctive black garb gives them visibility and their political clout gives them significant power in Israeli society. This is the reverse of the situation in the United States, he points out, where mainstream religions get most of the media coverage.As in the United States, the general population in Israel gets knowledge of its minority religious groups, in this case the Haredim, from the general media. But these ultraconservative Jews see the general media and even democracy itself in conflict with the values of the Torah and deal with them only grudgingly. …

Yoel Cohen, God, Jews and the Media: Religion and Israel's Media, Jewish Studies Series (London and New York: Routledge, 2012). Pp. 258. $135.00 cloth.

Yoel Cohen, God, Jews and the Media: Religion and Israel's Media, Jewish Studies Series (London and New York: Routledge, 2012). Pp. 258. $135.00 cloth.

Privacy in new media in Israel

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to draw a new map confronting the issue of privacy in the new media age in general, and in the State of Israel in particular.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents an in‐depth review based on professional literature covering the topics of privacy, new media, social networks, and Israel. The paper considers all citizens of Israel (both Jewish and non‐Jewish), the vast majority (over 80 percent), however, of which are Jewish.FindingsThe study has found that even though Israeli social network users may be aware of online privacy issues, their adoption of online sharing and exposure, while partly due to third person effect, is to a great extent a reflection of the Israeli collective ethos which emphasises the importance of community and emotional and material sharing.Originality/valueThe study proposes a new classification of privacy exposures and violations by analyzing the nature of privacy violations inherent in the new media. The paper then discusses the unique cultural and normative manifestations of this issue in Israeli society.

The limits of dissent: Palestinian media in a Jewish ethnocracy

This article examines the impact of new political communication strategies upon state policy towards Palestinian Arab media in Israel. While the majority of studies on Palestinian Arab media in Israel have tended to focus upon patterns of media production or consumption by the minority, little attention has been given to the relationship between the structural dimensions of power and inequality in society and the development of Palestinian counter-hegemony in Israel. This article examines the location of Palestinian Arab media within the broader system of Jewish ethnocratic control in Israel and argues that despite the diverse range of modern media at its disposal, the Palestinian Arab minority – together with its media – remains marginalized and limited in its ability to affect political change within Israeli society.

Globalization and the Growth of International Educational Testing and National Assessment

Education has long been characterized as a central requirement for national economic development and political democratization in the contemporary world. Moreover, international benchmarking has been identified as the “basis for improvement. . . . It is only through such benchmarking that countries can understand relative strengths and weaknesses of their education systems and identify best practices and ways forward” (OECD 2006, 18). Statements such as this example signal an international consensus that has emerged— at least among “developed” countries—about the legitimacy and, even more so, the necessity of international testing and national assessment. As David P. Baker and Gerald K. LeTendre (2005) observe, both international testing and national assessment are linked to efforts to reform educational systems and are often themselves stimuli for further cycles of reform. The results of international testing, they note, will fuel further interest in national assessment. Here we develop an argument about the global forces that have led to the explosive growth of national educational assessment and international testing. In particular, we argue that the international acceptance of testing comes from key ideological forces in the world polity that are associated with the accelerating globalization of national and international cultural, economic, and political structures. As we develop and warrant this argument, we also qualify it by pointing out that national adaptations to this larger world culture may vary depending on the presence and capacities of international organizations and regional associations that act to mediate and adapt these changes to conditions in individual countries. In addition, we consider the effects of subnational movements in introducing pressures for change that may favor more national assessment.