The Abramowitz Israeli Prize for Media Criticism

The Abramowitz Israeli prize for Media Criticism – 2006

The Abramowitz Israeli prize for Media Criticism – 2006 will be awarded this year at a festive ceremony on Jan. 18, at the “Ron” Auditorium of Beit Sokolov Journalists Association center, in the presence of Public Personalities and other dignitaries. 

The prize is awarded for an especially valiant, significant and qualitative contribution to media criticism in . It is awarded for media critic journalism, for providing and forming appropriate forums for media criticism, and for increasing pluralism and reducing monopolism in the Israeli media. The aim of the prize is to encourage the Israeli media to open itself to criticism, whether from the journalists themselves or external sources such as intellectuals, academics and public figures.

The prize awardees this year are Channel 10 correspondent Ynon Magal and Deputy Managing Editor of “The Jerusalem Post” and a columnist for the "Makor Rishon" newspaper, Caroline Glick .

The prize committee, appointed by IMW President,  Ambassador Zalman Shoval, was chosen from amongst the members of the presidium of IMW, ensuring that they represent a broad spectrum of political and ideological streams in . The members are:

·        Ambassador Zalman Shoval, Chairman

·        Dr. Mor Altshuler

·        The writer Ehud Ben Ezer

·        The poet Erez Biton

·        Prof. Eli Pollak, Chairman of IMW

·        Gen. (res.) Oren Shachor

The prize is generously funded by Mrs. Nira and Mr. Kenneth Abramowitz. Mr. Abramowitz is a founding general partner of New Global Network Capital (NGN).

Ynon  Magal

Ynon Magal is the correspondent for military and Yesha affairs for the TV Channel 10 news.

Ynon Magal is the journalist most identified with criticizing the Israeli media's mobilization in favor of the government's disengagement program. During a conference organized by The Second Authority for Television and Radio as well as in other panel discussions, devoted to the subject, Magal blamed the media for advancing the disengagement agenda, for adopting a terminology that was pro-disengagement, and for concealing the truth regarding the extent of the opposition to the plan. Magal's claims received wide resonance and initiated a public and media debate regarding the measure of the media's professionalism.

At the end of 2004, television reporter Ilana Dayan presented an investigative report claiming that a company commander in Givati, Captain R, confirmed the killing of a 13 year old Palestinian girl. This report was broadcast on Channel 2's  investigative  program, "Uvda". It received wide exposure, and was followed by very harsh local and international criticism of the Israeli army. Ynon Magal chose to reexamine Ilana Dayan's findings. In a report that was broadcast on Channel 10, he exposed a series of grave ethical and professional flaws: the presentation of illustrative pictures as authentic material, the withholding of basic data which could undermine the conclusions of the investigation, and even suspicions of tendentious editing.

A year after the publication of the story, a military court acquitted Captain R. of the allegations that were attributed to him by the program "Uvda". The verdict validated Ynon Magals investigative conclusions.

For his willingness to criticize a fellow journalist, which is considered  “taboo” in the Israeli media, and for the courage to take on the Israeli media in its entirety, Ynon Magal was found worthy of receiving the Abramowitz Israeli Prize for Media Criticism for the year 2006. In addition, the prize committee commends Channel 10 news, for providing a broad platform for media criticism.

Biographical sketch

Ynon Magal was born in the city of Jaffa and was raised in Bat-Yam until the age of 8. He then moved with his family to Jerusalem . In the army he served in the elite unit "Sayeret Matkal" as a soldier and an officer. He graduated from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem with a degree in Middle-Eastern and Islam studies and Jewish Thought. He made his first steps in the media as an announcer at "Reshet Bet" for "Kol ". He then worked as the economics correspondent for "Reshet Bet" and as a reporter for Yesha affairs at "Galei Tzahal". Today, Magal works as a reporter for military and Yesha affairs for TV Channel 10 news. Magal is 36 years old, newly married and lives in Jerusalem .

Caroline Glick

Caroline Glick is the Deputy Managing Editor of “The Jerusalem Post”

and a columnist for the "Makor Rishon" newspaper. During the past year she has written a series of articles in which she accused the media of collective support for the implementation of the disengagement plan. For example, the media mostly refrained from reporting about government corruption and criticizing government policy. As the only  Israeli journalist who was embedded with the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division during the second Gulf War, Glick was opposed to the intention to prevent free press coverage of the evacuation of Gush Katif. The unique knowledge which she had acquired during the war, in addition to her profound knowledge of the American and worldwide media, added weight to her opinions on this issue. Her position on this subject also constituted a criticique of  her fellow journalists, who accepted the limitation of their freedom as representatives of the press with resounding silence.

Her untiring and consistent stand in favor of professional and fair journalism and her fierce criticism of the largest media systems in the country, Caroline Glick was found worthy of receiving The Abramowitz Israeli Prize for Media Criticism for the year 2006.

Biographical sketch

Caroline Glick was born in Chicago, . In 1991, she volunteered to serve in the Israeli army. Between 1994 and 1996, she served in the bureau of the Coordinator of Government Activities in Judea , Samaria and Gaza.as a coordinator of the negotiations with the PLO  In this capacity she was a core member of ’s negotiating team with the Palestinians.

She received a Bachelors degree in Political Science from the Columbia University in New York , and a Masters degree in Public Policy from Harvard University . She began her career in journalism as a political commentator for the "Makor Rishon" newspaper. In 2002 she was appointed as Deputy Managing Editor of “The Jerusalem Post” and since then writes two weekly columns for the paper.  During the second Gulf War she was embedded with the US Army’s 3rd Infantry Division Reporting for “Maariv”, “The Jerusalem Post” and the “Chicago Sun Times” newspapers as well as Israel TV’s Channel 2. She was the first Israeli journalist who reported from the city of Baghdad , after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.

 In the Independence Day edition of "Maariv", she was chosen as the most prominent woman of the year.

Ms Glick is the Senior Middle East Fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington, DC; a senior researcher at the IDF”s Operational Theory Research Institute; and an adjunct lecturer in tactical warfare at the IDF’s Command and Staff College.

In December 2005, Ms. Glick was awarded the “Ben Hecht” award for Middle East reporting from the Zionist Organization of America and the "Golden Pen" award for the year 2003 from the "Americans and Canadians in Israel Organization". Caroline Glick lives in Jerusalem . 

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