Media Relations in Israel

The Israeli media, as in most cases in the western world plays an important role in creating checks and balances between the public and the government. The media often exposes corruption and leads to public advocacy of important issues.

Because of the fact that Israel is essentially the size of New Jersey, a staggeringly small number of media outlets is available to begin with. Israelis get to choose between only 3 major national news programs every night and about 4 major newspapers. The few that receive a relatively large following have a significant amount of power in shaping the public's perception.

Major media outlets throughout the western world are often being associated with certain political affiliation. The New York Times and Fox News have a clear agenda and the following they receive as a result of that agenda often dictates their priorities. In Israel it is the larger newspapers that still dictate the political agenda. The owners and editors of these newspapers are often called out on playing favorites among politicians and public agendas.

The idea behind media relations is to enhance the exposure of an organization in a positive and credible manner but also in a consistent fashion. Realizing that there simply aren't any media outlets to spare is vital in treating them with respect and trying to accommodate both the client and the media.

Media relations done right in a small country such as Israel involve a number of important elements. Because of the unrest with the Palestinians and the Arab world major news stories break out in Israel on a constant basis. It is imperative that a media relations specialist that is accustomed to working in this type of environment will be in charge of producing content that will be directed to the right spot in the news as opposed to creating news that will be passed over all together.

Knowing what constitutes a good news story in the eyes of the editor is always beneficial for media relations professionals. In a country such as Israel in which negative news are abundant being able to position an organization to be a part of positive or reassuring news story could mean a great deal.

MS Business Communication is a Public Relations Agency with over 20 years experience in media relations and crisis management.