He did not follow up on Itzik’s questionable point about freedom of speech and the actions of Edward Snowden. The reporter responded by asking Itzik if the poor in China would agree with his statement. Over the past 30 years, the Communist Party has done a good job and there are not many complaints against it. In Israel, you can stand on the street and shout “Anyone but Bibi!” But in China, it is not customary to do so. There, too, it is not allowed to post things that can damage state security. Thus, when asked if he, as a journalist, goes along with the restrictions on freedom of speech in his country, he replied:įreedom of speech is not absolute in the US either. Itzik tried to sketch out a symmetry not only between China and Israel but also between China and the US. It is commonplace for Chinese officials and representatives, when asked about their country, to make comparisons with other countries and thereby divert the discussion. In doing so, he falls for a standard Chinese interview tactic. Instead of confronting Itzik with the significant differences between those situations and the reasons why it is a false analogy, the Makor Rishon reporter shifts the conversation to matters of copyright violation in China. He then explicitly draws an analogy between allegations of Israeli treatment of Palestinians and Chinese treatment of various populations. According to Itzik, China is battling a similar gap between reality and perception. When he is asked whether this endeavor amounts to propaganda, he replies by pointing out the difference between the reality of what happens in Israel and global public perceptions of it. In the article, Itzik explains why CRI has a Hebrew department: to produce videos “that tell Israelis about China and about life there… China’s image through content that presents the country in a positive way”. This undermines the essential role to be played in a democracy by an independent and critical media. The concern is not that the messages are being broadcast to the Israeli public but that they are being disseminated without comment-in other words, that the Israeli media, which should be providing independent news reporting, are simply repeating Chinese messages verbatim, without interpretation or analysis. The interview with Itzik, along with other statements provided by CRI representatives that are dutifully passed along without critical comment by the Israeli media, raises the concern that those media are inappropriately providing a platform for the Chinese Communist party (CPC). It has expanded dramatically over the years and is now active in over 60 languages. The station, which operates websites and makes videos as well as producing radio broadcasts, went on the air in 1940 as a tool to promote Communist Party of China (CPC) ideology. His original name is Xi Xiaoqi, and he works in the Hebrew Department of China Radio International (CRI), which was established in September 2009. Not long ago, the Israeli paper Makor Rishon published a comprehensive cover story on a Chinese individual who goes by the name Itzik HaSini (“Itzik the Chinese”). This venture has proven a success for the Chinese and a failure for the Israeli media, which uncritically swallow the messages sent out by CRI’s Hebrew team. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: In 2009, China Radio International (CRI) began broadcasting in Hebrew.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |