Israel elections: The media battle

Netanyahu's allies and enemies in the media; plus, fixers, the local helpers who make international reporting possible.


When the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a campaign stop this past week in Washington DC to make a speech about Iran's nuclear development, many saw it as an electioneering speech, with the republicans in control of Congress gifting Netanyahu a platform and some valuable face time.

The way his speech was covered by the media back in Israel stood out, particularly on Israeli newspapers which are a big part of the election story. The most widely-read newspaper in Israel used to be Yediot Ahronoth, until Israel Hayoum hit the newsstands - a free paper owned by the American billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who is a staunch supporter of Prime Minister Netanyahu.