Dr. Yariv Ben Eliezer
צילום: אפי שריר
Tartman an easy target
Media chose to turn Israel Our Home MK into punching bag because of political views
Who knows Esterina Tartman? Who knows why she was marked by the media? Were media outlets motivated by a passion for the truth, or was this about Tartman's unpopular political views?
Various public and media figures, who love to protect certain individuals who hold the "right" views, attacked Esterina with great fury and unrestrained fervor, while mixing opinions with facts, emphasizing minor issues at the expense of essential ones, and presenting shreds of information combined with disinformation, in order to undermine someone whose views and conduct failed to satisfy their political appetites.
Indeed, there is a dark cloud hovering over Esterina's biography and her state of health. At the same time, who knows all the facts and who is only fed by media reports? Did media outlets attempt to report the entire truth regarding all cases where false and deceptive information was presented in the biographies of public figures? Did the media go to war for the sake of truth, or merely engaged in a battle against Esterina Tartman?
In the 1990s, a study I conducted described the "profile" of an average Israeli journalist: A middle-class male in his early 30s who was born in central Israel and is of Ashkenazi (European) descent. This profile dictates a unique and characteristic worldview. And as we know, anyone who joins a given organization adopts the customary norms there in order to survive.
Therefore, those who join the media adopt the worldview that characterizes the organization they just joined: They adopt the compromising, leftist tendency, if you wish, in matters of policy and security, and the rightist, conservative tendency when it comes to social and economic affairs.
For this reason, former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was perceived as someone who should be safeguarded careful until the disengagement from Gush Katif is completed. That's why Esterina Tartman is perceived as a target that all arrows should be aimed at, because her views are unacceptable by most members of the Israeli media.
Tartman did not commit crime
Esterina Tartman did not confront law enforcement officials or drive under the influence. The "offense" she committed is not criminal and is no different than numerous other offences associated with many public figures in the past, without the media responding.
As we know, the media can set the public agenda by emphasizing certain facts or making them disappear. Many public figures could serve as a punching bag for the media, but media outlets preferred to ignore them for reasons of "good behavior" and instead slammed Esterina Tartman, who did not satisfy the Israeli media with her conduct and views.
In this triangle of capital, media, and government, facts that should be brought to light are hidden away. Yet we all know well where the money is, and what subjects are better left in silence. Every member of the media knows this well.
Esterina Tartman, who "starred" in almost any news monologue, report, parody or op-ed column, was an easy target. That's why many populists chose to attack her and turned her into the symbol of all that's bad in Israeli society. It would be worthwhile for us to examine whether the "exclamation marks" presented by the media are in fact "question marks" that should be directed at the media's conduct, their value system, and the sense of proportion displayed by its members.
Dr. Ben-Eliezer lectures at the Interdisciplinary Center's school of mass communication in Herzliya
