“To bring as much information as possible to the public so that he can make informed decisions about his life” – this is how the British Broadcasting Service defined its role as a public media outlet in a democratic state.
Well, what is the role of the media in general, and in Israel in particular, in an emergency? In a country subject to the outbreak of a health epidemic, or war, or an unexpected threat to the routine of its life and perhaps its existence?
“To bring as much information as possible to the public so that he can make informed decisions about his life” – this is how the British Broadcasting Service defined its role as a public media outlet in a democratic state
Corona outbreaks and the need to deal daily with changes in variants, the amount of infections, the extent of severe patients and mortality, raises the functional question facing other systems in the country besides the functioning of the government.
The media for example.
Public Information Brokers.
Similar That most commentators from various fields of communication – political, political, economic, foreign and security, education and welfare and tourism, have adopted the position of the demonstrator at the gate. They all became Corona experts and farm management under epidemic. You watch in an attempt to daily criticize government decisions, demanding permanent and unchanging decisions. This is despite the fact that the virus is changing daily, and the need to change decisions is inherent in the dynamics of this struggle. But they are on their own. The Media Scholars’ Council has decided that the struggle can be conducted differently, with regularity and stability and precise guidelines for each day and each school.
Although we live in an age of information overload, it is precisely in front of the corona that there is a huge lack of information. Scientists and research companies around the world are grappling with the solutions needed to prevent the disease, identify its markers and inversions and treat patients themselves.
The world’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies, with the best knowledge, laboratories and development and research people in the world, are engaged in daily research and development to find a vaccine for the delta wave, the micron, and various and varied drugs to allow the world to continue its life despite the epidemic.
The situation is basically similar to a world war that has suddenly opened up on all of humanity.
What, then, is the role of journalists and commentators in such a period?
Commentators have become corona experts and farm management under epidemic. Every day, government decisions are criticized, demanding permanent and unchanging decisions, even though the virus changes daily.
Tonight in front of the news editions, the headline competition around the words: confusion, chaos, failure, crisis, mess, seems to be leading the reports..
A political commentator recommends to the government and the prime minister what “should be done” immediately here and now, a foreign correspondent gives a number of examples from other countries and immediately blows a cynical question towards Israeli government ministers.
An economic commentator surpasses everyone by raising her voice in the studio and even before the public health commissioner goes on the air she, the expert on her own, already explains to the public how to fight omicron and frequent changes in various mutations while “knowing” of course how to run the state, finance, budget and future .
Education reporters are already demanding that the education minister resign. Because it is clear that whoever replaces it (no one knows who it is of course) is the number one expert in the world for managing education systems in the era of the corona plague.
“Chaos in the Education System”, screenshot from Channel 12
The Israeli media actually went crazy. Forgot her role in democracy. Many of the speakers have no green idea how to fight the plague differently, compared to government guidelines. But the leading motif is to “introduce” ministers, show them who here is influencing and who here is saying the last word.
The Israeli media actually went crazy. Forgot her role in democracy. Many of the speakers have no green idea how to fight the epidemic differently, compared to government guidelines. But the leading motif is to “introduce” ministers
In various radio stations the contempt, cynicism and snorting of contempt overflow.
But in front of all these stand frustrated parents, business owners in difficulty, exhausted children and old men who fear for their lives, soldiers and police, a wide public at a loss, not only because of the crazy disease, not only because of changing government guidelines, these because of journalistic brainwashing that does nothing to help For the life of the citizen. No attempt to understand and study the disease, no attempt to clarify the guidelines in different places and complex events, and no fair reporting that brings serious factual information so that the public can make informed decisions about its life.
After all, how are decisions made in our lives? How do we decide where to buy an apartment, where to study, what to buy and sometimes also what to know and think? A speech by a minister or prime minister, a press report on the situation and the next day we leave the house for reality.
This is the information we have.
Two sources.
Government and the press.
Most citizens have no option or other tools to gather information about the state of emergency in which the state is located. But the media tool works, it seems, against the first tool, the government, and against the lives of citizens. There seems to be only one important issue in the media bubble – who said who and what and how many viewers or surfers watched it.
Entire editions of programs deal with blandness, recycling a statement or burping, another sliver of gossip from a cabinet meeting, and seem to enjoy attacking, criticizing and embittering government life. It is difficult to find a journalist who deals with the question of how to help the general public get through the chaotic period.
Entire editions deal with the bland, the recurring utterance, the burping, the glitch of gossip from a cabinet meeting, and seem to enjoy attacking and embittering government life. It is difficult to find a journalist who deals with the question of how to help the public
After all, the period is chaotic not only because of the changing guidelines of the government, which is trying to err and err in a strange and changing reality. It is chaotic because the virus is chaotic. Unknown Unknown. Its behavior has not yet been fully investigated and vaccines and drugs have not yet addressed all variants.
It’s time to dump her and move on. One that asks what it can contribute and help in an emergency.
Media investigates and reports, but not only on confusion, chaos and omissions but on possibilities, facts, solutions. A media that learns the chaotic reality and tries to put it in order. Trying to address the public By virtue of its ability to reach the decision-making centers. Its ability to gather information from a variety of knowledge and research centers.
Journalists should not replace medical and public health experts, should not give behavioral guidelines to recovering patients, or patients. Nor to government ministers. Journalists are not supposed to manage the crisis instead of the government.
Journalists are not supposed to hand out scores and judge the decisions of the government, experts and ministers on a daily basis. Certainly not journalists who accompanied Netanyahu’s closure period and business collapse with a daily nod at his muted press conferences.
After all, the period is chaotic not only because of changing guidelines of the government, which is trying to err and err in a changing reality. It is chaotic because the virus is chaotic, and vaccines and drugs have not yet addressed all variants.
Journalists are supposed to gather information, cross-examine it, examine it, report it and present it to the public so that it can run its life, not just mock anyone who tries to run a plague-stricken country in an age of uncertainty.
DLP: There is no chaos pic.twitter.com/1pzUte0Gi1
– Yair Sherki (@yaircherki) January 10, 2022