Haaretz

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Haaretz
Haaretz he.svg
Type Daily Newspaper
Format Berliner
Owner Schocken Family (60%)
M. DuMont Schauberg (20%)
Leonid Nevzlin (20%)
Publisher Amos Schocken
Editor Aluf Benn[1]
Associate editor Tammy Litani
Founded 1919
Political alignment Liberal, secular, political left
Language Hebrew and English editions
Circulation 72,000
(Weekends: 100,000)[2]
Official website http://www.haaretz.co.il
http://www.haaretz.com
Front page of the Hebrew and English editions

Haaretz (Hebrew: הארץ‎) (lit. "The Land [of Israel]", originally Ḥadashot Ha'aretz – Hebrew: חדשות הארץ‎, IPA: [χadaˈʃot haˈʔaʁets] – "News of the Land"[3]) is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet. In North America, it comes out as a weekly newspaper, combining articles from the Friday edition with a roundup from the rest of the week. It is known for its staunch left-liberal stance on domestic and foreign issues.

Contents

Overview

Compared to other mass circulation papers in Israel, Haaretz uses smaller headlines and print. Less space is devoted to pictures, and more to political analysis. Its editorial pages are considered influential among government leaders.[4] Apart from the news, Haaretz publishes feature articles on social and environmental issues, as well as book reviews, investigative reporting, and political commentary. In 2008 the newspaper itself reported a paid subscribership of 65,000, daily sales of 72,000 copies, and 100,000 on weekends.[5] The English edition has a subscriber base of 15,000.[6][7] As of June 2011, readership was 5.8% of the public, down from 6.4% the prior year.[8]

Despite its relatively low circulation in Israel, Haaretz is considered Israel's most influential daily newspaper.[9][10][11][12] Its readership includes Israel's intelligentsia and its political and economic elites.[13][14][15] Surveys show that Haaretz readership has a higher-than-average education, income, and wealth; most are Ashkenazim.[7][16] Shmuel Rosner, the newspaper's former U.S. correspondent, told The Nation that "people who read it are better educated and more sophisticated than most, but the rest of the country doesn't know it exists".[7]

History and ownership

Haaretz was first published in 1918 as a newspaper sponsored by the British military government in Palestine.[17] In 1919, it was taken over by Russian Zionists.[18] Initially, it was called Hadashot Ha'aretz ("News of the Land"). Later, the name was shortened to "Ha'aretz". The literary section of the paper attracted the leading Hebrew writers of the time.[19]

The newspaper was initially published in Jerusalem. From 1919 to 1922, the paper was headed by a succession of editors, among them Leib Yaffe. It was shut down briefly due to a budgetary shortfall and reopened in Tel Aviv at the beginning of 1923 under the editorship of Moshe Glickson, who held the post for 15 years.[18] The Tel Aviv municipality granted the paper financial support by paying in advance for future advertisements.[20]

Salman Schocken, a wealthy German-Jewish Zionist who owned a chain of department stores in Germany, bought the paper in 1937. His son, Gershom Schocken, became the chief editor in 1939 and held that position until his death in 1990.[21]

Until August 2006, the Schocken family owned 100% of the Haaretz Group, but then the German publisher M. DuMont Schauberg acquired 25 percent of the shares.[22] The deal was negotiated with the help of former Israeli ambassador to Germany, Avi Primor.[23] This deal was seen as controversial in Israel as DuMont Schauberg's father, Kurt Neven DuMont, was member of the German Nazi party, while his publishing house promoted Nazi ideology.[24]

On 12 June 2011, it was announced that Russian-Israeli businessman Leonid Nevzlin had purchased a 20% stake in the Haaretz Group, buying 15% from the family and 5% from M. DuMont Schauberg. This means that the Schocken family now owns 60% and M. DuMont Schauberg and Leonid Nevzlin have 20% each.[25]

In October 2012, a union strike mobilized to protest planned layoffs by the Haaretz management. As a consequence, both the Haaretz newspaper and its TheMarker business supplement were not printed for one day. According to Israel Radio, it was the first time since 1965 that a newspaper did not go to press on account of a strike.[26][27]

Management

The newspaper's editorial policy was defined by Gershom Schocken, who was editor-in-chief from 1939 to 1990. The current editor-in-chief of the newspaper is Aluf Benn, who replaced Dov Alfon in August 2011.[28] Alfon's predecessor, David Landau, succeeded Hanoch Marmari[29] and Yoel Esteron in April 2004. Charlotte Halle became editor of the English Print Edition in February 2008.

Editorial policy and viewpoints

Haaretz describes itself as broadly liberal on domestic issues and international affairs.[30] Others describe it alternatively as liberal,[31][32][33][34][35] centre-left,[36] left-wing,[37][38][39] or even hard left,[40][41] According to the BBC, it has a moderate stance on foreign policy and security issues.[42] David Remnick in The New Yorker described Haaretz as "easily the most liberal newspaper in Israel", its ideology as left-wing and its temper as "insistently oppositional."[43] The newspaper's op-ed pages are open to a variety of opinions.[44]

J. J. Goldberg, the editor of the American The Jewish Daily Forward, describes Haaretz as "Israel's most vehemently anti-settlement daily paper".[45] US weekly The Nation describes Haaretz as "Israel's liberal beacon", citing its editorials voicing opposition to the occupation, the security barrier, discriminatory treatment of Arab citizens, and the mindset that led to the Second Lebanon War.[7] Aijaz Ahmad, writing in Frontline, described Haaretz as "the most prestigious Israeli newspaper".[46]

Criticism

Andrea Levin, executive director of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting (CAMERA), stated in 2008 that among Israelis Haaretz is seen as a "rather far-left publication" and accused the newspaper of doing "damage to the truth" and failing to correct errors.[47] Earlier, in 2001, Levin criticized Haaretz correspondent Amira Hass for inaccurate reporting and charged Haaretz with fueling anti-Israel bias.[48] A 2003 study in The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics found that Haaretz reporting was more favorable to Israelis than Palestinians and more likely to report stories from the Israeli side.[49]

According to its competitor The Jerusalem Post, Haaretz editor-in-chief David Landau said at the 2007 Limmud conference in Moscow that he had told his staff not to report about criminal investigations against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in order to promote Sharon's 2004–2005 Gaza disengagement plan.[50][51][52]

In March 2010, The Jerusalem Post reported that a pollster was unhappy with the way his poll results regarding Israeli views regarding President Obama were presented in the English edition of Haaretz, which he felt was "misleading", due to the fact that the Hebrew word "inyani" had been interpreted as "fair" instead of "businesslike".[53] Also in 2010, several columnists at The Jerusalem Post, including deputy managing editor Caroline Glick, criticized Haaretz for its role in the Anat Kamm affair.[54][55][56]

Internet editions

Haaretz operates both Hebrew[57] and English[58] language websites. The two sites offer up-to-the-minute breaking news, live Q&A sessions with newsmakers from Israel, Palestinian territories and around the world, and blogs covering a range of political standpoints and opinions. The English online edition receives an average of two million visitors per month. Both websites have blogs and are open to readers' comments.[59] The two sites fall under the supervision of Lior Kodner, the head of digital media for the Haaretz Group. Individually, Ruti Zuta is the editor of Haaretz.com (English) and Avi Scharf is the editor of Haaretz.co.il (Hebrew).

Internet blogs and columns

  • In September 2009, Haaretz.com launched a blog by Tel Aviv University Professor Carlo Strenger, called "Strenger than Fiction"[60]
  • Focus U.S.A.[61] – Blog by U.S. correspondent Natasha Mozgovaya who replaced Shmuel Rosner as U.S. correspondent in August 2008. Rosner's blog was "Rosner's Domain"[62] and explored Israeli, American Jewish, and Zionist issues in the United States.
  • "A Special Place in Hell" is Bradley Burston's award-winning, twice-weekly blog on Haaretz.com[63]
  • Israeli President Shimon Peres formerly blogged exclusively for Haaretz.com[64]

Offices

The Haaretz building, a low-slung building in south Tel Aviv, is situated on a street named for the Schocken family. The Haaretz building houses the art collection of Amos Schocken, one of the country's major collectors of Israeli art, some of it politically subversive.[65]

Notable journalists

Present

  • Ruth Almog – literature, publicist
  • Moshe Arens – columnist
  • Noam Ben Ze'ev – music critic
  • Aluf Benn – editor-in-chief
  • Meron Benvenisti – political columnist
  • Bradley Burston – political columnist[66]
  • Lily Galili [67]
  • Doram Gaunt – food columnist
  • Avirama Golan
  • Michael Handelzalts – theater critic, columnist
  • Amos Harel – military correspondent
  • Israel Harel – columnist
  • Amira Hass – Ramallah-based Palestinian affairs correspondent.
  • Avi Issacharoff – military correspondent
  • Sayed Kashua – satiric columnist, author
  • Tom Segev – historian, political commentator
  • Ari Shavit – political columnist[70]
  • Yair Sheleg – Jewish religious affairs[71]
  • Nehemia Shtrasler – economic affairs, publicist
  • Simon Spungin – Deputy Editor, English Edition
  • Ze'ev Sternhell – political commentary
  • Yossi Verter – political reporter
  • Esther Zandberg – architecture
  • Benny Ziffer – literature, publicist

Past

Supplements and special features (print edition)

  • All week
News, op-eds, political commentary
Gallery (Culture, entertainment, television and radio listings)
TheMarker business supplement
Sudoku puzzle
  • Friday
Extended news coverage
Musaf Haaretz weekend magazine
Culture and literature
Real estate
Local news
  • Sunday
Sports (extended)
  • Wednesday
Musaf Hasfarim book supplement

See also

References

  1. ^ By Haaretz (2011-08-01). "Aluf Benn named new editor-in-chief of Haaretz". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2013-02-10. 
  2. ^ Service, Haaretz (2008-02-12). "Dov Alfon named as new Haaretz editor-in-chief". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2013-02-10. 
  3. ^ "Israel Press, Media, TV, Radio, Newspapers – newspaper, television, news, circulation, stations, papers, number, print, freedom, broadcasting, advertising, role". Press Reference. Retrieved 5 March 2010. 
  4. ^ Beckerman, Gal (September/October 2005). "Disengaged". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 21 June 2007. 
  5. ^ Haaretz service. Dov Alfon named as new Haaretz editor-in-chief. Haaretz, 13 February 2008.
  6. ^ Haaretz stuff (26 October 2007). "Subscribe to Haaretz". Haaretz. 
  7. ^ a b c d Stephen Glazin (6 September 2007). "Ha'aretz, Israel's Liberal Beacon". The Nation. 
  8. ^ "Israel Hayom Surpasses Yedioth Ahronoth to Become Country's Most-Read Newspaper". Israel Hayom Newsletter. 20 July 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2011. 
  9. ^ Karpin, Michael (2006). The Bomb in the Basement. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. ix. ISBN 0-7432-6595-5. 
  10. ^ Manji, Irshad (2003). The Trouble with Islam Today. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 75. ISBN 0-312-32700-5. 
  11. ^ Parks, Michael (23 March 1993). "Next Step: 4 Israelis Jostle to Lead Likud Out of Wilderness". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 April 2012. 
  12. ^ Rabinovich-Einy, Orna (Winter 2007). "Beyond IDR: Resolving Hospital Disputes and Healing Ailing Organizations Through ITR". St. John's Law Review 81 (1/2): 173. 
  13. ^ Rebecca L. Torstrick. Culture and Customs of Israel. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006
  14. ^ Idith Zertal, Chaya Galai. Israel's Holocaust and the Politics of Nationhood. Cambridge University Press, 2005.
  15. ^ Elizabeth Poole, John E. Richardson. Muslims and the News Media. I.B.Tauris, 2006/
  16. ^ Dan Caspi, Yehiel Limor. The IN/Outsiders: Mass Media in Israel. Hampton Press, 1999. p. 79.
  17. ^ "TAU – Institute of Jewish Press and Communications – The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Center". Tau.ac.il. Retrieved 2013-02-10. 
  18. ^ a b Marmari, Hanoch (2004-04-16). "A fine and fragile balance". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2013-02-10. 
  19. ^ Encyclopedia Judaica, Newspapers, Hebrew, vol. 12, Keter Books, Jerusalem, 1978
  20. ^ Haaretz history, Tom Segev
  21. ^ A newspaper's mission – Haaretz
  22. ^ "M. DuMont Schauberg. Press-release". Dumont.eu. Retrieved 2013-02-10. 
  23. ^ Koren, Ronny (2006-08-13). "Germany's DuMont invests 25m euros in Haaretz". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2013-02-10. 
  24. ^ "Haaretz's 'Nazi problem'". Ynetnews.com. 1995-06-20. Retrieved 2013-02-10. 
  25. ^ "Russian immigrant billionaire buys 20% of "Haaretz"". Globes. 2011-06-12. Retrieved 2013-02-10. 
  26. ^ Koopmans, Ofira (4 October 2012). "Journalists at Israel's Haaretz newspaper strike over job cuts". Europe Online. Retrieved 12 October 2012. 
  27. ^ "'Haaretz' daily not printed today". Globes. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2012. 
  28. ^ "Problems at Israel's Haaretz: Newspaper Without a Country". Spiegel. Retrieved 5 March 2010. 
  29. ^ Hanoch Marmari speaks about Haaretz http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:fIMAMItDFyMJ:www.pij.org/details.php%3Fid%3D376+gershom+gustav+schocken&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4
  30. ^ About, Haaretz, retrieved 24 July 2008 
  31. ^ Dan Caspi. Media Decentralization: The Case of Israel's Local Newspapers. Transaction Publishers, 1986.
  32. ^ Sharkansky, Ira (2000), The Politics of Religion and the Religion of Politics: Looking at Israel, Lexington Books 
  33. ^ Rebecca L. Torstrick. Culture and Customs of Israel. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006
  34. ^ Idith Zertal, Chaya Galai. Israel's Holocaust and the Politics of Nationhood. Cambridge University Press, 2005
  35. ^ "Israeli media vents fury at Likud". BBC. 17 December 2002. Retrieved 4 May 2010. 
  36. ^ "The death of Israeli democracy", Al Jazeera (English ed.) 
  37. ^ "Sharon orders Gaza pullout plan". BBC. 2 February 2004. Retrieved 5 March 2010. 
  38. ^ "Israeli authors urge ceasefire talks with Hamas". Reuters. 24 September 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2010. 
  39. ^ "Premium content". Economist. 1 February 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2010. 
  40. ^ Herb Keinon hometown boy makes good as diplomatic correspondent, "Israel independence", Intermountain Jewish News 
  41. ^ Gordon, Evelin, Listen to the Left, The Jerusalem Post 
  42. ^ "The press in Israel". BBC. 8 May 2006. Retrieved 14 February 2008. 
  43. ^ Remnick, David (28 February 2011). "The Dissenters". The New Yorker. Retrieved 12 October 2012. 
  44. ^ Sharkansky, Ira (2005). Governing Israel: Chosen People, Promised Land, & Prophetic Tradition. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-7658-0277-4. 
  45. ^ Are Religious Soldiers To Blame for Alleged Abuse? J. J. Goldberg, The Forward, 3 April 2009. Re-linked 11 September 2011
  46. ^ Israel's colonial war Frontline
  47. ^ Ross, Oakland (5 October 2008). "News and views that inspire love or kindle hatred". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2012. 
  48. ^ Levin, Andrea (6 August 2001). "Ha’aretz Fuels Anti-Israel Bias". CAMERA. Retrieved 5 May 2010. 
  49. ^ Matt Viser. Attempted objectivity: An analysis of the New York Times and Ha'aretz and their portrayals of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics. 2003, Vol. 8, No. 4, 114–120.
  50. ^ Limmud diary: Creme de la Kremlin?
  51. ^ Media Matters: Peripheral vision – one Acre and half a dunam
  52. ^ Shame on 'Haaretz' by Isi Leibler, Jerusalem Post, 6 November 2007} Retrieved 11 September 2011
  53. ^ Gil Hoffman, "Haaretz fiddled with Obama poll", Jerusalem Post, 22 March 2010.
  54. ^ Michael Freund, Fundamentally Freund: Awakening the Left", Jerusalem Post, 14 April 2010.
  55. ^ Caroline Glick, "The Haaretz spy scandal: Haaretz provides Israeli affirmation for anti-Israel attitudes", Jerusalem Post, 16 April 2010.
  56. ^ Ben-Dror Yemini, "Haaretz could not be more wrong – or misleading", Jerusalem Post, 20 April 2010.
  57. ^ "חדשות, ידיעות מהארץ והעולם – עיתון הארץ". Haaretz.co.il. 2013-02-06. Retrieved 2013-02-10. 
  58. ^ "Haaretz Daily Newspaper Israel". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2013-02-10. 
  59. ^ Ten ways to make sure that peace stays dead – Haaretz
  60. ^ "Haaretz Daily Newspaper Israel, Israeli News Source". Haaretz. Retrieved 5 March 2010. 
  61. ^ "Haaretz Daily Newspaper Israel". Haaretz. Retrieved 5 March 2010. 
  62. ^ "Haaretz Group". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 1 November 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2010. 
  63. ^ "Haaretz.com senior editor Bradley Burston wins award for Mideast journalism". Haaretz. Retrieved 5 March 2010. 
  64. ^ Shimon Peres (7 November 2007). "Peres Online". Haaretz. 
  65. ^ Remnick, David. "The Dissenters ''The New Yorker''". Newyorker.com. Retrieved 2013-02-10. 
  66. ^ "Haaretz.com senior editor Bradley Burston wins award for Mideast journalism", Haaretz
  67. ^ Zur, Masha. "The million Russians that Changed Israel to its Core, Haaretz". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2013-02-10. 
  68. ^ a b Haaretz reporters Klein, Reznick win Sokolov Award for Journalism – Haaretz – Israel News
  69. ^ Carmel, Asaf (2007-11-09). "Fellow journalists to honor Haaretz commentator Yoel Marcus in Eilat". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2013-02-10. 
  70. ^ http://www.indopubs.com/is4.html
  71. ^ Special Report[dead link]
  72. ^ Carmel, Asaf (2008-03-03). "Haaretz journalist Ehud Asheri dies of cancer at 57 – ''Haaretz'' – Israel News". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2013-02-10. 
  73. ^ http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/905834.html
  74. ^ The long goodbye – Haaretz – Israel News
  75. ^ Ben, Daniel (2008-06-13). "Daniel Ben-Simon: Why I'm leaving journalism for politics". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2013-02-10. 
  76. ^ Avivi, Gidi (2001-07-18). "Gidi Avivi: Irresistible look at a master". Haaretz. Retrieved 2013-02-10. 
  77. ^ Haaretz correspondent Akiva Eldar wins Mideast journalism award – Haaretz

Further reading

External links

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