Israel Hayom (Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל הַיּוֹם, lit.'Israel Today') is an Israeli national Hebrew-language free daily newspaper. Distributed for free around Israel,[6] it is the country's most widely distributed newspaper.[7][2] Owned by the family of the late Sheldon Adelson, a businessman and political donor, Israel Hayom has been noted for its editorial stance and coverage of Israeli politics, often sparking debate about its political alignment.

Israel Hayom
border
Front page, 27 July 2016
TypeFree daily newspaper
FormatTabloid
PublisherMiriam Adelson
Editor-in-chiefOmer Lachmanovitch
General managerAmir Finkelstein
News editorUri Dagon
Photo editorAmi Shooman
Launched30 July 2007; 17 years ago (2007-07-30)
Political alignmentCentre-right[1] to right-wing[2]
Conservatism
National liberalism
Language
Headquarters2 Ha-Shlosha St., Tel Aviv
CountryIsrael
Circulation275,000 (as of 2017)[3]
Readership
  • 31%
  • (as of 2021)[4]
Sister newspapersMakor Rishon[5]
OCLC number234764640
Websiteisraelhayom.com
israelhayom.co.il
Free online archivesdigital-edition.israelhayom.co.il

History

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The Israel Hayom headquarters in Tel Aviv

Israel Hayom's print edition, "financed by the American casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson,"[8] was launched on 30 July 2007, competing directly with Israeli, another free daily. That same year, Maariv editor Dan Margalit left the newspaper to write for Israel Hayom. A weekend edition was launched in October 2009. In 2014, Israel Hayom bought Israeli media outlets Makor Rishon and nrg מעריב.[5]

In May 2014 the name מעריב (Maariv) was removed from nrg log,[9] and it was rebranded as nrg. Following the acquisition, an antitrust complaint was filed against Israel Hayom, which resulted in a court order that requested the transfer of the maariv domain name to Maariv weekly.[10] In 2017, nrg was renamed to nrg360, and on 10 January 2018 the website closed; all of its content was merged into the Makor Rishon website.

Later that year, it is believed, was when Sheldon Adelson invested at least $50 million in Israel Hayom.[11] Critics of Adelson's involvement claimed that the distribution of free newspapers hurt free enterprise and targeted Israel's print newspaper industry, as Israel Hayom was then Israel's only free-of-charge national newspaper. The bill passed the first reading in the Knesset, but not subsequent ones.[12] In 2016, Adelson's attorney announced that although it was commonly believed that Adelson owned the newspaper, it was owned by a relative of his.[13]

In January 2021, Saudi-American independent academic researcher, Najat Al-Saied, became the first person from the Arab states of the Persian Gulf to join Israel Hayom.[14]

Political leaning

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Israel Hayom has been described as having a center-right to right-wing political alignment since its establishment in 2007. From its inception, the paper has reflected conservative and national-liberal ideologies, focusing on national security and economic policy. Early analyses suggested that Israel Hayom frequently aligned with conservative values, advocating for a robust national defense and skepticism toward diplomatic concessions, especially during major political events, such as national elections.

By 2016, Israel Hayom extended its influence beyond Israel, endorsing the presidential campaign of Donald Trump, marking a notable alignment with conservative movements on a global scale. This endorsement reinforced the perception of the paper as a supporter of right-wing ideologies not only in Israel but also internationally.[15][16]

Market share

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Israel Hayom readers in Jerusalem

Being distributed for free, Israel Hayom has an advantage over other daily newspapers in Israel. In July 2010, Israel Hayom surpassed Yedioth Ahronoth in weekday exposure rate in the semi-annual Target Group Index (TGI) survey.[17]

As of January 1, 2024, a TGI survey indicated that Israel Hayom, distributed for free, is Israel's most read newspaper, with a 27.4% weekday readership exposure, followed by Yedioth Ahronoth, with 22.4%, Haaretz with 5.4%, Maariv with 3.5%, and Globes with 3.2%.[18]

As of July 31, 2023, a TGI survey had indicated that Israel Hayom, was Israel's most read newspaper, with a 29.4% weekday readership exposure, followed by Yedioth Ahronoth, with 22.3%, Haaretz with 4.8%, Globes with 4% and Maariv with 3.9%.[19]

In January 2016, citing internal records from Israel Hayom, Haaretz revealed that between 2007 and 2014, the newspaper lost about 730 million shekels ($190 million), approximately equal to a shekel per copy printed.[20]

Employees

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Senior management[21]
  • Miriam Adelson – Publisher.
  • Omer Lachmanovitch – editor-in-chief.
  • Amir Finkelstein – CEO.
  • Uri Dagon – news director.
  • Nir Vitlem – chief technology officer.
  • Moriya Idan – chief financial officer.
Staff[22]
  • Shlomo Cohen – editorial cartoonist.
  • Gideon Alon – parliamentary correspondent.
  • Ran Reznick – health correspondent.
  • Dan Margalit – senior commentator.
  • Naama Lanski – magazine correspondent.
  • Eli Sahar – sports editor.
  • Shir Ziv – television critic.
  • Shlomo Cesana – diplomatic correspondent.
  • Aviad Hacohen – legal affairs commentator.
  • Ronen Dorfan – sports commentator.
  • Yoav Kutner – music critic.
  • Lilach Shoval – military correspondent.
  • Mati Tuchfeld – political correspondent.
  • Shlomo Scharf – sports commentator.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Bernard Reich; David H. Goldberg, eds. (2016). Historical Dictionary of Israel. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 271. ISBN 9781442271852.
  2. ^ a b "Meet the Israelis praying for a Trump win". The Los Angeles Times. 17 March 2016.
  3. ^ "Israel and the Middle East News Update" (PDF). S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace. 4 March 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  4. ^ "ישראל היום או ידיעות? זה העיתון הנקרא בישראל | סקר TGI". ICE (Israel) [he]. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b Ronen, Gil (30 April 2014). "Israel Hayom Buys Makor Rishon, NRG Website". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  6. ^ Stewart, Catrina (23 October 2011). "The press baron who's making news in Israel". The Independent. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  7. ^ Yaakov, Yifa (30 March 2014). "Bennett lashes Israel Hayom over Makor Rishon bid". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  8. ^ "Netanyahu's Obsession With Image Could Be His Downfall". The New York Times. 3 December 2018.
  9. ^ "סיומה של תקופה: לאחר עשור - המילה 'מעריב' הוסרה הערב מהלוגו של NRG". Ice. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  10. ^ אברבך, לי-אור (5 June 2014). "ביהמ"ש: הדומיין "מעריב" יעבור לרשות "מעריב השבוע"". Globes.
  11. ^ Pfeffer, Anshel (12 November 2014). "Everything You Need to Know About the Israel Hayom (Or anti-Sheldon Adelson) Law". Haaretz. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  12. ^ Harkov, Lahav (12 November 2014). "Israel Hayom bill 'shames the Knesset,' PM says". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  13. ^ "Adelson's attorney says billionaire doesn't own Israel Hayom | The Times of Israel". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
  14. ^ Yaakov, Yifa (30 March 2014) [30 march 2014]. "Bennett lashes Israel Hayom over Makor Rishon bid". Times Of Israel.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  15. ^ Sterman, Adiv (17 March 2016). "Donald Trumps the Hebrew media". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  16. ^ "Herzog calls on Netanyahu to disavow allies who support Trump", Lahav Harkov, 11/07/2016, The Jerusalem Post
  17. ^ Averbach, Li-or (28 July 2015). "After decades, 'Yediot' no longer top newspaper". Globes. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  18. ^ "סקר TGI: ישראל היום או ידיעות אחרונות - זה העיתון החזק בישראל". Ice (in Hebrew). 1 January 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  19. ^ "סקר TGI: דרמה בצמרת הפרינט והפתעה בעיתונות סוף השבוע". Ice (in Hebrew). 31 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  20. ^ Uri Blau (10 January 2017). "Adelson's pro-Netanyahu Free Daily Newspaper Lost $190 Million in Seven Years". Haaretz.
  21. ^ "Senior Management". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  22. ^ "Our team leaders - Editorial team". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
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