State auditor orders probe into public broadcaster stonewalling
Amid anger at plans to scupper new media corporation, government conduct over stalled reforms to be investigated
Raoul Wootliff is a former Times of Israel political correspondent and Daily Briefing podcast producer.
Amid a political storm over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to dismantle a newly created public broadcasting corporation, the state comptroller on Wednesday announced a probe into government conduct over the reforms that created the new broadcaster.
State Comptroller Yosef Shapira instructed auditors to begin collecting materials on the issue following significant criticism over the way it had been handled, a statement released by the oversight body said.
The decision was made due to “the volume of statements on the issue, the fate of hundreds of workers and the matter’s public importance.”
In 2014, the Knesset passed wide-reaching reforms closing the ailing Israel Broadcasting Authority, which politicians at the time described as increasingly irrelevant and costly, and replacing it with a new broadcasting corporation called “Kan.”
The legislation, advanced by then-communications minister Gilad Erdan, who is now the public security minister, aimed to ensure greater editorial independence for the new corporation compared to the IBA, exempting it from government oversight rules that apply to most other public corporations and severely curtailing the ability of politicians to intervene in content and senior staff appointments.
In July, however, Netanyahu decided to extend the life of the IBA and delay the launch of the new corporation.
Now, with millions spent and the broadcaster poised to go on air, Netanyahu is seeking to preemptively shut it down altogether and instead “rehabilitate” the IBA.
But Likud-led negotiations suggest that “rehabilitation” will mean more drastic cuts to the IBA, with trade unions reportedly being pushed to accept a further 300 redundancies and a 15 percent cut in salaries across the board.
A spokesman for the State Comptroller’s office told The Times of Israel that the audit would probe both the stalled reforms and the government plans for the IBA.
The Comptroller’s announcement came after the Knesset Economics Affairs Committee held an emergency meeting Wednesday to debate the recent developments where lawmakers from both the coalition and opposition voiced concerns over the long-term damage to Israel’s media landscape.
Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon broke his silence on the issue Monday, threatening to torpedo the effort by vetoing the bill.
Kahlon, a former communications minister from Likud who later struck out to form his own party, boycotted a planned cabinet vote on the issue Sunday, forcing Netanyahu to delay the poll for a week. He also skipped the prime minister’s Knesset speech on Monday.
Jewish Home chair Naftali Bennett also said Monday that he would oppose the new bill.
Under coalition agreements, the parties must vote in favor of all media reforms backed by Netanyahu. But it was not immediately clear what that would mean for parties opposing the cancellation of the corporation, which has yet to begin broadcasting.
Opposition leader Isaac Herzog slammed Netanyahu in his Monday speech at the Knesset opening, accusing him of leading “a coup” against Israeli democratic institutions, and especially the media.
