Veteran Israeli Broadcaster Dan Shilon Regrets Not Promoting Women in Media

Veteran Israeli journalist and television host Dan Shilon, a founding member of "Mabat Sport" and former news director of Channel 1 and CEO of Channel 2's Reshet, expressed deep regret over his past failure to advance women into key positions within the media industry. Speaking on the "Shirath HaGil" podcast hosted by Sarah Peri and Adv. Shiri Weiss, Shilon described this as his "greatest failure," stating that in all his leadership roles, he did not bring women to the forefront of broadcasting. He attributed this to a "stupid tradition" that men should manage media and present the news.

Shilon reflected on the significant changes in Israeli journalism, lamenting that he did not do more to integrate women into senior roles in the evolving field. He noted with pleasure the current presence of many talented women in news broadcasts, contrasting it with his own past actions. "I look at myself and say: 'You failed in this matter,'" he stated.

In a separate recent incident, Shilon's name was in the headlines following an interview with Sharon Gal on i24NEWS. Gal questioned Shilon about a social media post that compared Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to Washington to the flight of former Romanian leader Nicolae Ceaușescu. Shilon clarified that he did not author the post but had shared it and identified with its content. He stood by his criticism of Netanyahu's meeting with the US President, calling it "one of the most disastrous meetings ever between any leader and the President of the United States."