Haaretz Criticizes Barak Ravid's Trump Interviews as Lacking Journalistic Value

Rogel Alpher, the television critic for Haaretz, published a sharp critique on Wednesday targeting political analyst Barak Ravid. Alpher argued that Ravid's frequent interviews with U.S. President Donald Trump fail to provide genuine journalistic value. He specifically criticized Ravid's habit of opening reports with statements like "I spoke with the president 25 minutes ago," calling it a repetitive ritual in news broadcasts that does not yield exclusive or significant information for the public.

Alpher noted that Trump tends to repeat messages already made public during these conversations, so the mere fact that Ravid spoke with him should not be considered newsworthy. Furthermore, Alpher said the accompanying analyses do not offer new insights, creating an impression of direct access to the president rather than a meaningful journalistic achievement. While acknowledging that Ravid occasionally breaks important stories, Alpher concluded that the direct Trump interviews, which have become Ravid's hallmark, do not meet the standard of news value. He summarized, "The real headline is that I spoke with Trump 25 minutes ago and he said nothing new."