Meet The Billionaire-Funded Pro-Israel Group Influencing Media

 

HonestReporting Canada is seeking to ‘control the narrative’ on Israel in Canadian media with the help of the wealthy and powerful.

Israel is in the midst of an onslaught in Gaza, killing more than 26,000 Palestinians (including at least 10,000 children) since October 7. This mass slaughter has led people and governments throughout the world to criticize Israel, and the International Court of Justice to order provisional measures against it after finding that “at least some of [its] acts and omissions [...] in Gaza appear to be capable of falling within the provisions of the [Genocide] Convention.” As such, Israel’s killing has been accompanied by efforts, from forces within and abroad, to justify and sanitize its actions in an attempt to win the public image war.

In Canada, one group particularly active on the media front of this campaign is HonestReporting Canada (HRC), which labels itself as “an independent grass-roots organization promoting fairness and accuracy in Canadian media coverage of Israel and the Middle East.” This stock description of HRC found on its website, however, clashes with how it describes its efforts elsewhere. 

In a July 2023 interview, HRC executive director Mike Fegelman proclaimed that the group wants “to create a digital army for Israel.” In an Oct. 13, 2023, fundraising email, Fegelman acknowledged mass criticism of Israel, and wrote, “To prevail, it’s imperative that we operate by the maxim that the best defense is a strong offense and work to control the narrative. To that end, we’ve established a war room” in order to, as he mentions later in the email, allow HRC “to act as Israel’s sword and shield.” This framing was pushed again in a Nov. 28, 2023, email, in which Fegelman wrote, “In the war against Hamas, there are two battlefronts: the fighting on the ground and the battle for public opinion. In many respects, the war of persuasion is no less important, helping to shape an entire generation.”

According to HRC, its “war” to “control the narrative” in Canadian media has been going well. While HRC has a vested interest in portraying its efforts as successful in order to attract and retain donors — who are able to get tax write offs due to HRC’s status as a charity — there’s no denying the impact it has had on Canadian media.  (more...)

Meet The Billionaire-Funded Pro-Israel Group Influencing Media

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Here Are HonestReporting Canada’s Billionaire And Millionaire Funders