Summary
Overview
Israeli journalist Ana Tsaragusti, head of the Press Freedom Department at Israel's Union of Journalists, discusses the dire state of press freedom in Israel during wartime. She reveals how the Netanyahu government is systematically weakening independent media, how Israeli journalists engage in widespread self-censorship about Gaza, and why the Prime Minister hasn't given a Hebrew-language interview to journalists since March 2021. The conversation explores the challenges of maintaining journalistic independence during conflict, military censorship, and the suppression of Palestinian voices in Israeli media.
The State of Journalism in Israel and Early Career
Ana describes her career trajectory from a small lefty investigative magazine to commercial television, emphasizing the importance of serving the public interest over power. She explains how her early work at a magazine founded by Uri Avnery taught her to speak truth to power, though the government eventually shut it down by creating a climate that drove away advertisers. The Union of Journalists represents workers across Israeli media and negotiates collective bargains, though economic conditions for journalists remain poor globally unless working for public broadcasters or oligarch-backed outlets.
- Ana runs the Press Freedom Department at Israel's Union of Journalists, advocating for journalists' rights and freedom
- She started at a small independent investigative magazine that was eventually shut down after the government banned subscriptions and created a hostile advertising climate
- The magazine's ethos was serving only the public's right to know, not bending journalist values for power
- Economic sustainability is challenging for media outlets globally unless backed by public broadcasting or wealthy oligarchs
" You serve only the public and the public's rights to know, and you are not afraid of anybody and you don't give any, you know, I don't know, you don't bend any of your journalist values for power, you speak truth to the power. "
" Journalists are poor. Salaries are not that high, except if you're a big talent or something. "
Historic Arafat Interview: Crossing Conflict Lines in 1982
Ana recounts a pivotal moment in her early career when she convinced her editor to cross conflict lines during Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reach besieged Beirut and interview PLO leader Yasser Arafat. This dangerous journey through multiple army checkpoints—Syrian, Lebanese, Christian, PLO, and Israeli—demonstrated her commitment to covering all sides of a conflict. She argues this should be routine journalism practice, though most journalists don't do it, especially during wartime when Israelis tend to rally around the flag and resist criticism of government policies.
- Ana crossed conflict lines during the 1982 Lebanon invasion to interview Yasser Arafat in besieged Beirut, something no Israeli journalist had attempted before
- The journey required crossing numerous dangerous checkpoints controlled by different armies
- During wartime in Israel, journalists often serve as army reservists and everyone knows someone in combat, creating pressure to be patriotic over critical
- Ana believes journalists should routinely listen to both sides, but acknowledges public resistance to criticism during wartime
" I think it's something that you have to do routinely. But during times of war in Israel, because everybody, it's mandatory for everybody to serve in the army, men and women...people tend to be, I don't know, sorry, patriotic, so they tend to rally around the flag. "
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