Reporter Accuses Channel 14 of Favoring Netanyahu's Likud Party
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
Reporter Sefi Ovadia accused Channel 14 of unfairly favoring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party in its election exit polls. Channel 14's poll showed Likud winning 30 mandates, significantly higher than other outlets like News 12 (24 mandates). Ovadia claimed the channel acted as Likud's "television arm," potentially drawing votes away from smaller right-wing parties like those of Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. The discrepancies in the polls, particularly for Likud, are the basis for his criticism.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Reporter Sefi Ovadia accused Channel 14 of favoring Likud in election polls.
- Channel 14's poll gave Likud 30 mandates, while News 12 showed only 24.
- Ovadia claimed Channel 14 was Likud's "television arm" during the election.
- He stated smaller right-wing parties' votes were siphoned to Likud.
- Discrepancies were most significant for Likud, not smaller parties.
Reporter Sefi Ovadia has launched a sharp attack against Channel 14, accusing the outlet of aiding the Likud party at the expense of smaller right-wing parties. Ovadia's claims stem from significant discrepancies in election exit poll results published by various news channels. In Channel 14's poll, the Likud party received 30 mandates, making it the largest party by a wide margin. In contrast, News 12's poll showed Likud with only 24 mandates, while Kan 11 and News 13 reported 25 mandates each. i24NEWS's poll placed Likud at 27 mandates.
The discrepancies were also evident in the bloc results. Channel 14's poll projected 60 mandates for the Netanyahu bloc, while Kan 11, News 12, and News 13 showed only 50 mandates. i24NEWS reported 55 mandates for the bloc. However, for the parties led by Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, the differences between the polls were much smaller. Otzma Yehudit received 7 mandates in Channel 14's poll, compared to 6 in News 12 and News 13, and 7 in Kan 11 and i24NEWS. Religious Zionism and Identity received 7 mandates in Channel 14's poll, versus 6 in the other four polls.
Based on these figures, Ovadia contends that Channel 14 did not function as a channel for the entire right-wing camp during the election campaign, but rather actively benefited Likud and Netanyahu. "In this election campaign, Channel 14 was almost exclusively the television arm of Likud. Netanyahu was its director, editor, and anchor. It's a party tool for Likud, not for the right, and not even for the coalition," Ovadia stated. He added, "The first to pay the price for this were Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, whose votes were siphoned off to Likud by Netanyahu from Channel 14's studio."
While the poll numbers themselves do not prove voter transfers, they highlight the disparity fueling Ovadia's criticism. The significant deviation in polls is not among Ben-Gvir or Smotrich's parties, but for Netanyahu, showing a 6-mandate advantage for Likud in Channel 14's poll compared to News 12, and a 5-mandate difference compared to Kan 11 and News 13. This gap gains added significance following Ovadia's strong accusations.
Mentioned
