Haaretz

Haaretz
Newspapers.jpg
Front page of the Hebrew and English editions
Type Daily Newspaper
Format Berliner
Owner Schocken Family
Editor Dov Alfon[1]
Associate editor Tammy Litani
Founded 1919
Language Hebrew & English editions
Headquarters Tel Aviv, Israel
Circulation 72,000
(Weekends: 100,000)[1]
Official website http://www.haaretz.co.il
http://www.haaretz.com

Haaretz (Hebrew: הארץ‎) (lit. "The Land", originally Hadshot Ha'aretz – "News of the Land"[2]) 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.

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.[3] Apart from the news, Haaretz publishes feature articles on social and environmental issues, as well as book reviews, investigative reporting and political commentary. The newspaper itself has reported a paid subscribership of 65,000, daily sales of 72,000 copies, and 100,000 on weekends.[4] The English edition has a subscriber base of 15,000.[5][6] During the last six months of 2009, Haaretz readership fell from 7.4 to 6.6 percent of the public.[7]

Despite its relatively low circulation, Haaretz is considered Israel's most influential daily newspaper.[8][9][10][11][12] Its readership includes Israel's intelligentsia and its political and economic elites.[12][13][14] Surveys show that Haaretz readership has a higher-than-average education, income, and wealth; most are Ashkenazim.[6][15] Shmuel Rosner, the newspaper's former U.S. correspondent, told The Nation, "people who read it are better educated and more sophisticated than most, but the rest of the country doesn't know it exists."[6]

Contents

History

Haaretz was first published in 1918 as a newspaper sponsored by the British military government in Palestine.[16] In 1919 it was taken over by Russian Zionists. Initially, it was called Hadshot 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.[17]

The newspaper was initially published in Jerusalem. Three years later, on December 31, 1922, it moved to Tel Aviv, under the editorship of Moshe Gluecksohn, who served as editor from 1922 to 1937.[18] The Tel Aviv municipality granted the paper financial support by paying in advance for future advertisements. [19]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.[20]

Management

The newspaper's editorial policy was defined by Gershom Schocken, who was editor-in-chief from 1939 to 1990. Haaretz is owned by the Schocken family. The editor of the paper today is Dov Alfon, replacing David Landau in April 2008.[21] Landau succeeded Hanoch Marmari[22] and Yoel Esteron in April 2004. Adar Primor was the editor of Haaretz English Edition from 2005 to 2007. Charlotte Halle became managing editor of the English Print Edition in 2007 and editor of the English Print Edition in February 2008.

In August 2006, M. DuMont Schauberg acquired 25 percent of the shares of the Haaretz group.[23] This German publisher, based in Cologne, owns four daily newspapers and a dozen other publications. It is also a partial owner of various radio stations. The deal was negotiated with the help of former Israeli ambassador to Germany Avi Primor.[24]

Editorial policy and viewpoints

Haaretz describes itself as broadly liberal on domestic issues and international affairs.[25] It is described as liberal,[26][27][28][29][30] left-wing,[31][32][33][34] and hard left.[35][36] J.J. Goldberg describes it as "Israel's most vehemently anti-settlement daily paper."[37] According to the BBC it has a moderate stance on foreign policy and security issues.[38] The newspaper's op-ed pages are open to a variety of opinions.[39] Rosner described the opinions as coming "from the right (not many), the center-right (still not many), the center (quite a few), the center-left (many), the far-left (let's say that Haaretz has more than its fair share coming from this political camp)."[40]

In 2001, the pro-Israel media-monitoring and advocacy group CAMERA claimed that Haaretz fueled anti-Israel bias.[41] 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.[42] Israeli author Irit Linur canceled her subscription, accusing Haaretz' of an anti-Zionist theme that turns too often to "foolish" and "wicked" journalism.[43][44][45] Roni Daniel, the military and security correspondent for Israeli Channel 2 also canceled his subscription, citing the use of a television review section to criticize his correspondence.[46]

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.[6] Aijaz Ahmad, writing in Frontline, described Haaretz as "the most prestigious Israeli newspaper".[47]

According to The Jerusalem Post, in 2007 editor-in-chief David Landau said 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.[48][49]

In March 2010, The Jerusalem Post reported that a pollster was unhappy with the way his poll results were presented in Haaretz, which he felt was "misleading".[50] Also in 2010, several columnists at The Jerusalem Post, including Caroline Glick, criticized Haaretz for its role in the Anat Kamm affair.[51][52][53]

Internet editions

Haaretz operates both Hebrew[54] and English[55] language websites. The two sites offer up-to-the-minute breaking news, live Q&A sessions with newsmakers from Israel, Palestine and around the world, and blogs covering a range of political standpoints and opinions.

The English online edition is seen as the international face of the most authoritative news source on Israel and the Middle East, averaging some two million visitors each month. The past two years have seen a change in management at the online editions, with Gadi Lahav appointed as Director of Online Content for the Haaretz Group, Liron Meroz becoming editor of the Hebrew edition, and Sara Miller taking over as Haaretz.com editor.

Both websites have a series of blogs, covering a range of issues. Most recently, veteran reporters Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff launched the MESS Report blog exclusively for Haaretz.com. Other senior Haaretz journalists also blog regularly for the two websites, among them Benny Ziffer and Yossi Melman in Hebrew, and Natasha Mozgovaya for both websites.

Articles on both websites are open to readers' comments, though some, among them Haaretz.com senior editor and blogger Bradley Burston, feel that comments which promote extremism and hamper dialogue should be censored more aggressively.[56]

Internet blogs and columns

Editorial changes

Under Dov Alfon, major changes are taking place in Haaretz, including a return to more serious journalism, a turn to the left (including the return of World Press Freedom recipient Amira Hass to the newsroom) and the introduction of more cultural coverage in the news section.[62]

Notable journalists

Present

  • Dov Alfon – editor-in-chief
  • Ruth Almog- literature, publicist
  • Noam Ben Ze'ev – music critic
  • Aluf Benn – diplomatic affairs correspondent
  • Meron Benvenisti – political columnist
  • Bradley Burston – political columnist[63]
  • Akiva Eldar – diplomatic affairs analyst[64]
  • Lily Galili
  • Avirama Golan
  • Michael Handelzalts – theater critic, columnist
  • Amos Harel – military correspondent
  • Amira Hass – Ramallah-based Palestinian affairs correspondent.
  • Avi Issacharoff – military correspondent
  • Sayed Kashua – satiric columnist, author
  • Yitzhak Laor – publicist
  • Gideon Levy – Palestinian affairs columnist
  • Yoel Marcus – political commentator, publicist[65]
  • Yossi Melman – intelligence
  • Amir Oren – military affairs
  • Tsafrir Rinat – environmental issues
  • Daniel Rogov – food and wine critic
  • Doron Rosenblum – satirist, publicist
  • Natasha Mozgovaya – U.S. correspondent
  • Yossi Sarid – retired politician, publicist
  • Tom Segev – historian, political commentator
  • Ari Shavit – political columnist[66]
  • Yair Sheleg – Jewish religious affairs[67]
  • Nehemia Shtrasler – economic affairs, publicist
  • Ze'ev Sternhell- political commentary
  • Yossi Verter – political reporter
  • Esther Zandberg – architecture
  • Benny Ziffer – literature, publicist
  • Uri Klein- film critic[68]
  • Doram Gaunt – English print edition editor, food critic
  • Simon Spungin - Night Editor, English Edition
  • Oren Kessler - Night Editor, English Edition
  • Zeev Segal – legal affairs
  • Alex Levac - photo columnist

Past

Supplements and special features (print edition)

All week

Sunday

Wednesday

Friday

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dov Alfon named as new Haaretz editor-in-chief - Haaretz - Israel News
  2. ↑ "Israel Press, Media, TV, Radio, Newspapers - newspaper, television, news, circulation, stations, papers, number, print, freedom, broadcasting, advertising, role". Pressreference.com. http://www.pressreference.com/Gu-Ku/Israel.html. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
  3. ↑ Beckerman, Gal (September/October 2005). "Disengaged". Columbia Journalism Review. http://cjrarchives.org/issues/2005/5/beckerman.asp. Retrieved 2007-06-21. 
  4. ↑ Haaretz service. Dov Alfon named as new Haaretz editor-in-chief. Haaretz, Feb 13, 2008.
  5. ↑ Haaretz stuff (2007-10-26). "Subscribe to Haaretz". Haaretz. https://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/objects/pages/SubscribeEn.jhtml. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Stephen Glazin (2007-09-06). "Ha'aretz, Israel's Liberal Beacon". The Nation. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070924/glain. 
  7. ↑ Li-Or Averbuch (27 January 10). "TGI survey shows "Globes" only paper to grow". Globes. http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000534102&fid=942. Retrieved 27 January 2010. 
  8. ↑ Lucy Dean, ed. The Middle East and North Africa 2004. Europa Publications, 2004.
  9. ↑ Norman G. Finkelstein. Beyond Chutzpah. University of California Press, 2008.
  10. ↑ Michael Karpin. The Bomb in the Basement. Simon & Schuster, 2006.
  11. ↑ Irshad Manji. The Trouble with Islam Today. St. Martin's Press, 2003.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Rebecca L. Torstrick. Culture and Customs of Israel. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006
  13. ↑ Idith Zertal, Chaya Galai. Israel's Holocaust and the Politics of Nationhood. Cambridge University Press, 2005.
  14. ↑ Elizabeth Poole, John E. Richardson. Muslims and the News Media. I.B.Tauris, 2006/
  15. ↑ Dan Caspi, Yehiel Limor. The IN/Outsiders: Mass Media in Israel. Hampton Press, 1999. p. 79.
  16. ↑ TAU- Institute of Jewish Press and Communications- The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Center
  17. ↑ Encyclopedia Judaica, Newspapers, Hebrew, vol. 12, Keter Books, Jerusalem, 1978
  18. ↑ "About Haaretz - Haaretz - Israel News". Haaretz. 2006-12-24. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=51345&contrassID=2&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
  19. ↑ Haaretz history, Tom Segev
  20. ↑ A newspaper's mission - Haaretz - Israel News
  21. ↑ "Problems at Israel's Haaretz: Newspaper Without a Country - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International". Spiegel.de. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,599005,00.html. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
  22. ↑ 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
  23. ↑ M. DuMont Schauberg. Press-release. Last accessed: 16 August 2009.
  24. ↑ Germany's DuMont invests 25m euros in Haaretz, Haaretz, August 13, 2006.
  25. ↑ Haaretz.com. About Haaretz.. Retrieved July 24, 2008.
  26. ↑ Dan Caspi. Media Decentralization: The Case of Israel's Local Newspapers. Transaction Publishers, 1986.
  27. ↑ Ira Sharkansky. The Politics of Religion and the Religion of Politics: Looking at Israel. Lexington Books, 2000.
  28. ↑ Rebecca L. Torstrick. Culture and Customs of Israel. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006
  29. ↑ Idith Zertal, Chaya Galai. Israel's Holocaust and the Politics of Nationhood. Cambridge University Press, 2005
  30. ↑ "Israeli media vents fury at Likud". BBC News. 2002-12-17. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/middle_east/2583675.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-04. 
  31. ↑ [1]
  32. ↑ "Middle East | Sharon orders Gaza pullout plan". BBC News. 2004-02-02. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3451497.stm. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
  33. ↑ "Israeli authors urge ceasefire talks with Hamas". Reuters. 2007-09-24. http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSL24528048. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
  34. ↑ "Premium content". Economist.com. 2007-02-01. http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_RGNGSVV. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
  35. ↑ Intermountain Jewish News
  36. ↑ Evelin Gordon, Listen to the Left
  37. ↑ Are Religious Soldiers To Blame for Alleged Abuse? J.J. Goldberg, The Forward, April 3, 2009.
  38. ↑ "The press in Israel". bbc.co.uk. 8 May 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4969714.stm. Retrieved 2008-02-14. 
  39. ↑ Sharkansky, Ira (2005). Governing Israel: Chosen People, Promised Land, & Prophetic Tradition. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers. p. 43. ISBN 9780765802774. http://books.google.com/?id=dlhmWNcqlrAC&pg=PA43. 
  40. ↑ Rosner, Shmuel (April 20, 2006). "The Walt-Mearsheimer study and the Haaretz factor". Haaretz. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerBlog.jhtml?itemNo=707621. Retrieved October 21, 2009. 
  41. ↑ Levin, Andrea. "Ha’aretz Fuels Anti-Israel Bias". CAMERA. http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=2&x_outlet=55&x_article=171. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
  42. ↑ 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.
  43. ↑ Irit Linur's letter (quotation) News First Class (Hebrew)
    - Translation: it is a person's right to be a radical leftist, and publish a newspaper in accordance to his world view... However "Haaretz" reached a stage where its anti-Zionism turns too frequently to foolish and wicked journalism. Original:
    זכותו של אדם להיות שמאלני-רדיקלי, ולהוציא עיתון בהתאם להשקפת עולמו... אבל "הארץ" הגיע לשלב בו האנטי-ציונות שלו הופכת לעתים קרובות מדי לעיתונות מטופשת ומרושעת.
  44. ↑ "Readers accused us of being anti-Jewish, anti-Israel and anti-Zionist" "A prominent Israeli best-selling author sent us a letter canceling her subscription and accusing us of being foolishly and wickedly anti-Zionist."
  45. ↑ "Ha'aretz, is currently the target of a consumer boycott for its alleged anti-Zionist tendencies. One-time leftist Irit Linor triggered the campaign by publicly canceling her subscription. "I don't want to be a subscriber to a newspaper that makes me ashamed of my Zionism, my patriotism, and my intelligence, three traits I hold dear," Linor wrote. The letter, published on a leading Israeli news site, provoked an unprecedented number of responses. Some 300 surfers wrote in, the overwhelming majority to support Linor, and even to announce that they too were canceling their subscriptions to Ha'aretz."
  46. ↑ שכניק, רז (2009-01-16). "עד מתי אוקטובר 65'" (in Hebrew). מוסף "7 לילות" של "ידיעות אחרונות". 
  47. ↑ Israel's colonial war Frontline
  48. ↑ Limmud diary: Creme de la Kremlin?
  49. ↑ Media Matters: Peripheral vision - one Acre and half a dunam
  50. ↑ Gil Hoffman, "Haaretz fiddled with Obama poll", Jerusalem Post, March 22, 2010.
  51. ↑ Michael Freund, Fundamentally Freund: Awakening the Left", Jerusalem Post, April 14, 2010.
  52. ↑ Caroline Glick, "The Haaretz spy scandal: Haaretz provides Israeli affirmation for anti-Israel attitudes", Jerusalem Post, April 16, 2010.
  53. ↑ Ben-Dror Yemini, "Haaretz could not be more wrong – or misleading", Jerusalem Post, April 20, 2010.
  54. ↑ חדשות, ידיעות מהארץ והעולם - עיתון הארץ
  55. ↑ Haaretz Daily Newspaper Israel, Israeli News Source
  56. ↑ Ten ways to make sure that peace stays dead - Haaretz - Israel News
  57. ↑ "Haaretz Daily Newspaper Israel, Israeli News Source". Haaretz.com. http://www.haaretz.com/strenger. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
  58. ↑ "Haaretz Daily Newspaper Israel, Israeli News Source". Haaretz.com. http://www.haaretz.com/mozgovaya. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
  59. ↑ "Haaretz Group". Haaretz.com. http://www.haaretz.com/rosner. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
  60. ↑ "Haaretz.com senior editor Bradley Burston wins award for Mideast journalism - Haaretz - Israel News". Haaretz. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/762913.html. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
  61. ↑ Haaretz Online, Shimon Peres (2007-11-07). "Peres Online". Haaretz. http://www.haaretz.com/peres. 
  62. ↑ "«Haaretz», l’agora d’Israël - Libération". Liberation.fr. http://www.liberation.fr/monde/0101317100-haaretz-l-agora-d-israel. Retrieved 2010-03-05. 
  63. ↑ Haaretz.com senior editor Bradley Burston wins award for Mideast journalism - Haaretz - Israel News
  64. ↑ Haaretz correspondent Akiva Eldar wins Mideast journalism award - Haaretz - Israel News
  65. ↑ Fellow journalists to honor Haaretz commentator Yoel Marcus in Eilat - Haaretz - Israel News
  66. ↑ http://www.indopubs.com/is4.html
  67. ↑ Special Report
  68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 Haaretz reporters Klein, Reznick win Sokolov Award for Journalism - Haaretz - Israel News
  69. ↑ Haaretz journalist Ehud Asheri dies of cancer at 57 - Haaretz - Israel News
  70. ↑ <http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/905834.html>
  71. ↑ The long goodbye - Haaretz - Israel News
  72. ↑ Daniel Ben-Simon: Why I'm leaving journalism for politics - Haaretz - Israel News

Further reading

External links

Newspapers of Israel Israel
General
Haaretz · Israel HaYom · Israel Post · Maariv · Makor Rishon · Yedioth Ahronoth
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