not everywhere· Politics· Updated
Israeli Journalists Clash Over Political Advisor Role
A public dispute has erupted within Channel 12 news following the leak of WhatsApp messages between the station's senior political commentator, Amit Segal, and Jonathan Urich, an advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The leaked communications, published on an anonymous website, allegedly show Segal assisting Urich with drafting and refining political campaign speeches.
3 newsrooms · 1 language · since
What happened
- 01Leaked WhatsApp messages allegedly show Channel 12 commentator Amit Segal advising Prime Minister Netanyahu's advisor Jonathan Urich on campaign speeches.
- 02Channel 12 journalist Ilan Lukatch accused Amit Segal of breaching viewer trust and committing a "suicide attack" on their news organization.
- 03Journalist Yigal Moussico questioned the ethics of Amit Segal revising speeches for the prime minister while actively covering him.
- 04Amit Segal defended his conduct as a standard exchange of opinions and draft speeches between a journalist and a source.
- 05Jonathan Urich claimed his WhatsApp account was hacked and that some of the leaked conversations were altered or fabricated.
- 06The management of Channel 12 and its news company have maintained silence since the text messages were published.
Channel 12 colleagues have publicly criticized Segal's conduct. Journalist Ilan Lukatch accused Segal of committing a "suicide attack" on the news organization and breaching viewer trust, arguing that rewriting a politician's speech goes far beyond normal professional relations with a source. Journalist Yigal Moussico also questioned the ethics of a commentator revising speeches for a prime minister he covers.
Segal defended his actions, describing the exchange of opinions and draft speeches as a common practice in the delicate relationship between journalists and their sources. Meanwhile, Urich claimed that his WhatsApp account had been hacked and that some of the published conversations were altered or fabricated. The management of Channel 12 and its news company have remained silent on the controversy.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated
Latest report: Walla. Read Walla’s originalThe coverage
3 newsrooms on this story
Who covered it
- Left1
- Centre1
- RightNone
- HarediNone
- ArabNone
- Other1
Not in the Right or Haredi press
How it broke
How the headlines differ
Israeli Journalists Clash Over Political Advisor Role
