Israel, Jews, Urged to Take New PR Approach
By Jennifer
Laszlo Mizrahi
Jerusalem----March 6....The Jewish community is abuzz with talk about Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ." A question looms - will we forever allow others to define Jews, or will we take the time, effort and money needed to define ourselves?
While "Passion" is an important challenge, the more important challenge for the Jewish community is the rough treatment Israel gets in other hands about it. We complain to the media. But is that the right approach? Often, the answer is no. While complaining can be productive, it should be the measure of last resort. When looking at poor media coverage of Israel, first we need to ask a simple question - how did this happen?
As the news stories were unfolding, did those who care about Israel provide reporters, bookers, producers, opinion-page editors and other journalists with the relevant facts and visuals in a simple, concise, and compelling format.
Did the TV stations receive excellent, accurate footage for their stories, or did we let enemies of Israel provide the TV stations with the only footage of a news event?
Did those who love Israel give reporters great pro-Israel sound bites that could fit in short news stories, or, instead, did we offer longwinded, unfocused and unsympathetic diatribes on how "Israel is always right" and the Arabs are always wrong?
Did supporters of Israel actually call reporters and deliver press materials to them, or did they sit comfortably at their desks, expecting that reporters would actually take the time to track them down or check their Web sites?
Like many other professionals, journalists are busy people. They work at for-profit organizations with stretched resources. Take the case of White House correspondents in Washington. The day before a White House visit of Israeli Prime Minister Sharon, a correspondent may cover the president's political campaign or his economic plan. The day after, that same reporter may cover the president's photo opportunity with soldiers or school teachers. Three-hundred-and-sixty-five days a year, White House correspondents cover whatever and wherever the president of the United States touches. But on the days when the president meets with the prime minister of Israel or the head of any Arab state, White House Take the case of White House correspondents in Washington. The day before a White House visit of Israeli Prime Minister Sharon, a correspondent may cover the President's political campaign or his economic plan. The day after, that same reporter may cover the President's photo opportunity and press conference with soldiers or school teachers.
Three hundred and sixty five days a year, White House correspondents cover whatever and wherever the President of the United States touches. But on the days when the President meets with the Prime Minister of Israel or the head of any Arab state, White House correspondent will be forced to make decisions that will effect how millions of Americans see Israel.
It should be no surprise to anyone that when Prime Minister Sharon meets with President Bush, the front of the next day's paper will contain a story on the meeting. On those days, it not up to reporters to seek out supporters of Israel to get our version of the story - it is up to us to deliver it.
The pro-Israel community needs to be better than Dominoes pizza. We need to deliver hot and delicious media sustenance in thirty minutes or less. And those messages need to be both factually accurate and able to persuade millions of Americans to be more supportive of Israel.
Let's face it. We live in a country where focus group and polls test everything from NIKE shoes, McDonald's burgers, healthcare reform, tax plans and almost every word out of a politician's mouth. We live in an era when KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) rules the airwaves.
So how do we fix Israel's public image in the media? It is easier than it seems. First, we must use public opinion research, including focus groups and polls, to determine how the images that Americans see about Israel are affecting them. Next, we need to find out what factual messages will persuade Americans including young Jews to be more supportive of Israel. Then, we need to be sure that journalists covering Israel have compelling facts and visuals at their fingertips before they file their news stories.
What supporters of Israel need to do is already being done by countless groups across America. When there is an issue of concern to our health, scores of organizations bombard reporters with focus group and poll tested fact sheets and talking points, attractive and TV-ready experts, and video news releases. Reporters can switch on their computers and get emails with press releases and links to video footage. They sit by the phone while PR firms and passionate activists alike reach out to them with short soundbites. Experts sometimes show up in person or invite them to hearty meals at K Street restaurants. Issue advocacy groups place TV ads on CNN, MSNBC and FOX in Washington - all stations watched regularly by reporters at their desks. Advocates send reporters direct mail pieces that explain their views. Grassroots supporters are armed with well-prepared, professional quality press kits for use with their local media contacts. Supporters train their spokespeople to do TV and radio interviews, and send out draft opinion editorials to be customized by leaders at the local level. They get celebrities to publicly support causes and come to Washington to testify in Congress or give a speech at The National Press Club. All the reporter has to do is choose from well-created materials and prepare a story. In the time honored vision of "balanced" journalism, reporters generally give equal time to each side of a story, using the best words and images provided to them by each side.
So what happens when a side of a story does not provide the media with the sound bites and footage sustenance that they need to fill their daily diet of news stories. That side gets poor coverage. "Tough luck. You deserve it!" think the press. "You didn't do your homework, but expected an A on your report card?"
In a harsh 24/7 news environment, woe to those who do not provide reporters with what they need to do their job. Even more woe to those who don't do their job and then dare to complain about somehow biased or factually inaccurate coverage. Such people and organizations suffer the scorn of journalists who know that if you don't follow the rules, you will suffer the consequences.
Sometimes reporters are given the facts and images they need to do a story about Israel, and they still get it wrong. At such times, it is up to those of us who care about Israel to call the reporter and offer our services. In your local community you can help bridge the gap by establishing a helpful relationship with key local journalists. You can call them and ask: "Can I help you by providing the phone numbers of experts who can help you?" "What is your fax number/email address so I can send you the statistics you need?" "Can I invite you to lunch to talk with you about the possibility of giving an alternate interpretation of events?"
It's up to us who know and love Israel to give reporters the tools they need to do their jobs before their stories hit the airwaves. Before Prime Minister Sharon comes to the United States and he is expected to come in March, you can call your local press and help prepare them on the facts surrounding the visit. On Yom HaShoah, you can let reporters know what the Holocaust means to the local community. Before Israeli Independence Day, you can spread the message that for more than fifty years Israel has been the only democracy in the Middle East - the only country in the region where Christians, Moslems and Jews have freedom of speech, religion, and a right to vote.
At the end of each August, when Congress and the White House are on vacations and there is empty space in the newspapers, media outlets typically look to fill their news holes. Indeed, right before kids go back to school, you can brief your local education reporters about how Israeli textbooks teach tolerance and peace whereas Palestinian textbooks glorify suicide bombers and show maps of the Middle East that do not include Israel.
Only after exhausting every carrot, should supporters of Israel even think of reaching for a stick.
Complaining about factually inaccurate or unfair coverage plays an important role. But if we let it be the only way we reach out to reporters, we cannot be surprised when our hands are bitten.
Our nation is completely media obsessed. According to Nielsen's, Americans watch television an average of 4.3 hours a day. And what do they see on the evening news. According to a Dow Jones Interactive Search we conducted, in one eight-month period, President George Bush was mentioned in the media 20,674 times. During that same period, Israel was mentioned a stunning 180,275 times. What a difference. Yet, for years, supporters of Israel have waited until after the stories were written to contact reporters.
Up until now, our methodology for handling Israel's coverage by the media has been no smarter than thinking about birth control after unprotected sex. It's too darned late.
When the American public is bombarded with horrific images of Israel, we should not be surprised when some Americans wind up thinking of Israel as an "aggressor" and "oppressor".
Are we naïve enough to think that when Americans see images of Palestinians parents clutching the corpses of their deceased children killed by Israeli soldiers, that their views of not only Israel, but all Jews will be affected? After all, when a news viewer watches an Israeli tank come towards rock-throwing children, it becomes easier to believe other negative anti-Jewish sentiments.
Young Jews did not live through the Holocaust or the '73 war. Their entry point to seeing Israel on television has been the images of the last three years. So can we be so blind as to think that Jewish youth will be as supportive of Israel as are their parents and grandparents have been? Can we be foolish enough to think that it will be easy for the next generation to speak about Israel with their non-Jewish peers on college campuses?
The pro-Israel community can no longer afford to leave responsibility for Israel's image to those who react after news stories are aired or printed. We cannot simply wring our hands about "Passion" and not realize that even bigger clouds loom on the horizon. The time for pro-active action is now.
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This story first appeared in
the Jewish Advocate.
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi is the founder and president
of The Israel Project,
a non-profit organization devoted to improving Israel's image.
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