"We are not here to fight. We are here to explain," that is how i24NEWS CEO Frank Melloul describes the mission of Israel's only international news channel.
Interestingly, although the station's headquarters are located in Israel, and the focus of its reporting is Israel, i24 does not broadcast in Hebrew, although Melloul hopes that will change in the future. At any rate, for the time being, i24 is only available in English, French and Arabic.
A Swiss-born French Israeli who studied law and international relations, Melloul is a seasoned diplomat. He has served in a number of roles for the French government, including as chief media strategist for the French prime minister around a decade ago, and is considered an expert in the field of communications.
Melloul is determined to broadcast an honest portrayal of Israel and the situation in the country by presenting Israel as it is, with all of its virtues and shortcomings. He stresses that i24 offers viewers the opportunity to formulate their own opinions.
"We are offering a platform to explain what the reality is. … It's true that when people come here [to the studio] they can criticize Israel – they do, but they are never alone. When you have someone on [the] BBC, criticizing Israel, he is the special guest. Here there are no special guests. Here you have all the opinions [presented] on the same level."
Q: Do you think a visit to the i24NEWS studio has an impact on European ambassadors who drop by?
"Yes. First, we have a lot of politicians who are coming, and they ask to come back, that means they understand that something is happening in i24NEWS. The ambassadors, the first time they come to check the place, and they are coming back with their ministers, with their personalities, who visit Israel to get interviews, to get their own communications in their own ministries." He said one of the best responses is when these officials ask to promote i24NEWS articles on their websites.
Melloul said that while i24NEWS may not have changed the officials' perception of reality in the country, they do understand that i24NEWS' coverage will help their citizens better understand the situation on the ground.
Replicating success
According to Melloul, Israel's problem isn't necessarily a public relations one. As he sees it, Israel does not possess a neutral platform from which it can present the Israeli mindset in the most refined and authentic way.
In the past, France faced a similar problem. When Melloul was responsible for media affairs under President Jacques Chirac, he was tasked with establishing a French news channel that would broadcast the "real" France to the world, in much the same way that networks like Al Jazeera or the BBC do for Qatar and Great Britain. This, of course, was no easy task.
For those who may not remember, the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 led to a rift between Chirac and then-U.S. President George W. Bush. Chirac was convinced the Iraq War would sow chaos, but Bush saw the move as a necessary step in rehabilitating the U.S.'s standing in the region. These tensions had an impact on France's image when it was (unfairly) demonized by many in the U.S. and outside the country. Even the U.S. Congress had a hand in this effort, calling for french fries to be renamed "freedom fries."
According to Melloul, Chirac formed a team to launch a French international broadcast. He said Chirac was frustrated because "right after the war in Iraq, people didn't understand, really, what the French position was."
Chirac thought that if France had its own version of CNN or the BBC, then the foreign public would start to understand what was really behind France's positions.
A new target audience
The urge to broadcast France's position to the world led to the establishment of France24, and Melloul played an integral role in this process and in the channel's integration into the wider international news arena. France24 is a success, its English-language programs broadcast everything that is happening in France to the world.
But then, in October 2012, Melloul had a meeting with French-Israeli businessman Patrick Drahi, the founder and owner of Netherlands-based multinational telecom giant Altice Europe.
"I received a call from a guy I never met before, Patrick Drahi, he asked me to join him for coffee. I thought it was about France24 distribution. … He looked at me and said: 'Son, we've never met before. It is about time to do something for your country.'
"I told him: 'What are you talking about? I am a French diplomat, I am working for the French government.' He answered: 'I am not talking about France. I know what you did in F[rance]24. I like what you did there. I am asking you to join me and do the same for Israel.'"
Two weeks later, Melloul accepted the challenge and two months later, he and his family made aliyah.
On July 17, 2013, i24NEWS kicked off its first broadcast from Jaffa Port.
"Then we were 150 people, now we're 400 just in Tel Aviv," he said.
The channel has expanded significantly over the years, and today, it is available via satellite and cable television networks all over the world. In the U.S., the channel has proven a success in the most unexpected of places, in Texas, for example, and among Muslims. It may soon become the leading international station for international news in the U.S.
i24NEWS has five bureaus and is headquartered in Jaffa. There are 20 people at the Paris bureau, 50 people in New York City's Times Square, another 10 in Washington and just two weeks ago, another bureau was opened in Los Angeles.
"So i24NEWS is the unique place where you have [people who speak] French, English, [and] Arabic not only working together but coproducing the same company. And I do really think today that if peace is not possible, if people have the feeling that peace is not possible, it is because of the media abroad. And I am very proud that i24NEWS is the answer to this media, [because it is] showing that coexistence is possible, at least inside the media. We have 200 journalists working for us, 35 nationalities here in Israel."
Melloul emphasizes that i24NEWS is unique when it comes to international news channels. "We are independent. Al Jazeera belongs to the emir of Qatar, [German international broadcaster] DW belongs to the German government, BBC to the British government, Russia Today to [Russian President Vladmir] Putin, CGNTV to the Chinese government, France24 to the French government. But we belong to Altice, so we are an independent news channel with no political agenda."
He said, "Our agenda is to change the perception of Israel abroad. Our agenda is to make [people] understand the reality of the Middle East. Our agenda is to be balanced, to show the different points of view."
Q: With i24NEWS now covering the Israeli elections for the second time since its establishment, what will be different this time around?
"This time we are more established. There is a difference this time: We are broadcasting in Israel," which, Melloul noted, "was not the case last time."
i24NEWS received its broadcasting license after the Knesset voted to allow it to broadcast inside Israel in May 2017. The channel is now available on Hot cable television.
Q: What kind of an edge does i24NEWS have over its competitors when it comes to immigrants in Israel?
"For sure the difference this time is that i24NEWS will be the channel that will influence the olim [immigrants] in the election. i24NEWS will be the channel that will influence the French, English olim in the election. … I know that all the olim hadashim [new immigrants] in Israel who want to understand what is going on here, they all watch i24NEWS. It is not only the olim hadashim. It is also the diplomatic corps. In this office, I receive a lot of ambassadors who come to visit us because they understand what is going on here and abroad through i24NEWS."
Q: What is your vision for i24NEWS' Hebrew language channel?
"I think it is totally natural to have a Hebrew version. I think that not to have a 24/7 news channel in Israel does not make sense. Everywhere in the world, you have 24/7 news channel. We are the only 24/7 channel broadcasting from Israel."
Melloul said he was "confident the next government will allow us to launch another Hebrew-language channel."
He said, "It is certainly the right thing to do in a country in which the public consumes news around the clock. They've talked a lot about this need and here, there's a media outlet that says, 'I want to, I can, I have the ability,' and all that it requires is to let it [happen]."
