In our reality of endless debates and the constant exchange of blows between the political camps in Israel on almost every issue, the terrorist attack in Tel Aviv was a rare instance in which a consensus was reached on the media coverage of the attack and the hunt for the attacker on the streets of the city that never sleeps.
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Much has been said and written about the lawlessness with which reporters and cameramen transformed into the documenting hump on the backs of combat soldiers searching for the terrorist and their treatment of security forces. Some of the media outlets in question apologized to viewers for their conduct, and the security bodies announced they would learn the necessary lessons from the chaos that prevailed on the scene and allowed the reporters' unacceptable conduct. We all expect this problem to be dealt with immediately.
At this point, and in the hope that we are not forced to soon discover whether lessons were indeed learned, the event should have come to a close. But then the politicians jumped on the bandwagon and decided that there was no avoiding their intervening in the matter and taking control to prevent it from happening again in the future. A massive amount of lawmakers issued statements on the press that had failed, and a special joint meeting of two Knesset committees was held to clarify not only what happened but how politicians can take on the role of editor and manage the broadcast for the helpless viewers and listeners the next time around.
As odd as it is that this needs to be said in a democracy in 2022, the role of elected officials is not to oversee media content, even in the case of a failure the likes of which we witnessed in Tel Aviv. Politicians are allowed and even obligated to speak out and take a stance, but they do not have the legal ability to act to ensure what is appropriate to show on screens in accordance with standards they will never be allowed to define.
They do not have the democratic right to appoint themselves the public's babysitter, even if that public has grown accustomed to politicians running every aspect of their lives.
The real solution is simple, and it can be found far from the Knesset and in Israelis' living rooms. If you see inappropriate behavior by a TV channel, change the channel to their competition.
Regardless of their ethnicity, gender, culture, or nationality, political figures aspire to obtain the power to dictate to media outlets, how, when, and what to report. This is precisely the reason they should be denied the option of doing so. They should be prevented to the extent possible from intervening in media content. The power lies with the citizen, and transferring that power to a Knesset lawmaker would set the country down a dangerous path.
Just look at the fervor with which lawmakers acted, and their impressive attendance at the Knesset meeting on the subject. Further proof can be found in the actions and apologies issues by some media outlets, which came without prodding from the legislative branch.
The images broadcast from the scene of the terror attack were cause for concern, but the images of politicians looking to acquire more power and exert pressure on the media were no less severe.
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