Media Control

November 6, 2003

Israel should drop its plans to subject all journalists to security checks.

Starting Jan. 1, the Government Press Office will give the names of thousands of accredited journalists to Israel's Shin Bet security service. By doing so, Israel will compromise its democratic principles and give the world reason to believe it has something to hide.

Like most governments seeking to inhibit the free flow of information, Israel cites security concerns. To be sure, Israel has plenty of those, but there is simply no evidence that the sweeping new policy is needed.

Correspondents covering defense and diplomatic issues already get tough security checks before getting access to officials, and all Palestinian journalists are checked by Shin Bet.

Under the new policy, foreign and Israeli journalists will have to get cleared, too. Shin Bet will tell the Press Office who it thinks is dangerous.

Allowing a government security agency to make that judgment comes close to licensing journalists and smacks more of dictatorship than democracy. Will journalists who interview a terrorist organization, for example, get their press cards yanked for security reasons?

Controlling press cards means controlling information. Journalists need the credentials to enter government buildings, attend news conferences and meet government officials in their offices. The Israeli military requires press credentials to enter the West Bank and Gaza.

The government Press Office has continually complained about foreign media coverage of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But controlling who tells the story won't help. It will anger reporters, damage public relations, and diminish Israel's claim to be the Middle East's only democracy.