Yinon Magal Drops Lawsuit Against Haaretz and The Seventh Eye
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
Yinon Magal has withdrawn his NIS 212,000 lawsuit against the Haaretz Group, the Seventh Eye NGO, and the Israeli Audience Research Committee as part of a mediation settlement. The lawsuit stemmed from reports alleging Magal contacted members of a secret television rating panel, which he claimed violated his privacy. The publications will remain online, and Magal will receive no compensation, while the Audience Research Committee had also filed a counterclaim against him.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Yinon Magal dropped his NIS 212,000 lawsuit against Haaretz, The Seventh Eye, and the Audience Research Committee.
- The withdrawal follows a mediation settlement approved as a court ruling on Monday.
- Magal waived his claims and will not receive any financial compensation.
- The case involved reports of Magal's contacts with members of a secret television rating panel.
- The Audience Research Committee had previously removed panel members and filed a counterclaim against Magal.
- The publications that revealed the contacts will remain online.
Yinon Magal, a host on Channel 14 and radio program 103FM, has withdrawn his NIS 212,000 lawsuit against the Haaretz Group, the Seventh Eye NGO, and the Israeli Audience Research Committee. The withdrawal came as part of a mediation settlement that was approved as a court ruling on Monday. Magal waived his claims and will not receive any financial compensation. The journalistic publications that revealed his contacts with members of the rating panel will remain in place.
The case centered on reports of communication between Magal and members of the secret panel used by the committee to measure television viewing data. These figures are economically significant in the industry, influencing advertising rates, and any suspicion of manipulation raises questions about their reliability.
The affair began in July 2026, when an Iran-affiliated hacker group leaked content from Magal's personal phone. Days later, the Seventh Eye published an investigation alleging Magal had contacted panel members. The Audience Research Committee investigated and confirmed that at least two active panel members had been in contact with Magal, removing them to prevent data bias. TheMarker later published a report on the matter.
Magal had claimed in his lawsuit that the defendants violated his privacy by using stolen information and encouraged hackers to continue targeting public figures. He sought financial compensation and an order to destroy the information held by the defendants and prevent its publication. During the legal proceedings, his representation changed from Adv. Amit Haddad to Adv. Adi Carmeli.
The Seventh Eye and TheMarker argued they did not possess or use the stolen lists and that their reports were based on journalistic sources without revealing personal details. The Audience Research Committee also defended itself, stating Magal had urged listeners on his 103FM show to contact him if they were on the panel. The committee had also filed a counterclaim of approximately NIS 515,000 against Magal, alleging he caused panel members to breach their contracts and confidentiality agreements.