Ya’alon made his statements during a lecture on the relationship between the media and the military at Ben Gurion University in Be’er Sheva. “We have turned into the State of [media] ‘Spin’,” Ya’alon said. The Chief of Staff said specifically that there was a very wide gap between how the IDF is portrayed by Israel’s media and how it is seen by the public.
As an example of the extent of the problem, Ya'alon cited a personal experience with unethical journalism. "A short time ago I had a discussion with eight reporters," he said. "The next day, the headlines in the paper were completely false, written by a reporter who wasn't even there."
Ya'alon said he said nothing of the sort at the meeting and that ever since the blaring headlines he has been repeatedly quoted as though he made such a statement.
"Worse," Ya'alon added, "none of the journalists who actually took part in the discussion criticized the headline - in order to protect their colleague."
The Chief of Staff also spoke about the IDF's shifting ability to cope with the international media. He said a major improvement in the army's ability to speedily counter Arab propaganda with facts was one of the major accomplishments in recent years. He also said that media relations are now taught in every army command course, and that officers are now taught how to present themselves on television.
Ya'alon even admitted that military decisions now take into consideration the media when they embark on security operations. "If we have a choice to use a tank in the daytime or nighttime we would rather use it at night, so that it can't be filmed," Ya'alon said.
The IDF army chief also confirmed at the meeting what had been posited by many independent journalists and researchers: The death of Muhammad al-Dura, the Arab boy shot in his father's arms and shown on TV screens across the world at the beginning of the Oslo War, was not caused by the IDF. "We know one hundred percent that he was not hit by IDF gunfire," Ya'alon said. "He was apparently shot by a Palestinian Authority police officer."
See related article "Anti-Semitism in the Israeli Press" critiquing Israel's media on Arutz-7's Blog: Fundamentally Freund.
As an example of the extent of the problem, Ya'alon cited a personal experience with unethical journalism. "A short time ago I had a discussion with eight reporters," he said. "The next day, the headlines in the paper were completely false, written by a reporter who wasn't even there."
Ya'alon said he said nothing of the sort at the meeting and that ever since the blaring headlines he has been repeatedly quoted as though he made such a statement.
"Worse," Ya'alon added, "none of the journalists who actually took part in the discussion criticized the headline - in order to protect their colleague."
The Chief of Staff also spoke about the IDF's shifting ability to cope with the international media. He said a major improvement in the army's ability to speedily counter Arab propaganda with facts was one of the major accomplishments in recent years. He also said that media relations are now taught in every army command course, and that officers are now taught how to present themselves on television.
Ya'alon even admitted that military decisions now take into consideration the media when they embark on security operations. "If we have a choice to use a tank in the daytime or nighttime we would rather use it at night, so that it can't be filmed," Ya'alon said.
The IDF army chief also confirmed at the meeting what had been posited by many independent journalists and researchers: The death of Muhammad al-Dura, the Arab boy shot in his father's arms and shown on TV screens across the world at the beginning of the Oslo War, was not caused by the IDF. "We know one hundred percent that he was not hit by IDF gunfire," Ya'alon said. "He was apparently shot by a Palestinian Authority police officer."
See related article "Anti-Semitism in the Israeli Press" critiquing Israel's media on Arutz-7's Blog: Fundamentally Freund.