Veteran Culture Reporter Sagi Ben Nun Departs Walla, Completing Staff Exodus

Sagi Ben Nun, a prominent culture reporter for the Israeli news site Walla, has resigned, marking the final departure of all six journalists from Walla's culture desk. Ben Nun, who previously worked at the site for 12 and a half years, will now join the culture supplement of the newspaper Haaretz, returning to a publication where he began his career over two decades ago. His departure signifies an unprecedented shake-up in the media landscape, as the entire long-term staff of Walla's culture section resigned within a three-month period, citing severe criticism of the editor-in-chief, management, and owners.

Ben Nun is known for several high-profile investigations, including his reporting on sexual misconduct allegations against actor Moshe Ivgy, which led to a police investigation and Ivgy's subsequent conviction and imprisonment. He also reported on allegations against other public figures, including Assi Azar, Dan Margalit, Haim Yavin, and Didi Harari. Before joining Walla in February 2014, Ben Nun had a diverse career in journalism, working for publications like Haaretz, Yediot Ahronot, and Maariv, and contributing to various television programs.

The mass resignations from Walla's culture desk, once considered a flagship section, began earlier this year. The editor of the section, Nir Yahel, his deputy, Ido Yeshayahu, and critics Amit Slonim, Nadav Manohin, and Avner Shavit all left prior to Ben Nun's departure. This exodus has reduced the department from six positions to just two.

In a letter sent in December to Walla's CEO Gidon Ozen, a group of journalists expressed concerns about a "deep change" in the site's character, stating that content management had moved away from journalistic hands, editorial considerations were replaced by target-driven decisions, and the professional space had shrunk. They warned that this resulted in a "substantial blow to our ability to produce reliable, critical, and quality journalism."