Social justice activists congregated outside the headquarters of the Israel Broadcasting Authority in Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv during the last week, in support of journalist Keren Neubach, a host on Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet. Neubach, who was a presenter on Channel 1 before being removed for not being “photogenic” enough, is again under fire. This time, the Israel Radio director has decided to add a co-anchor to her popular Seder Yom (Agenda) show. The “balancing presenter” is none other than controversial former reality TV star Menachem Ben, who has in the past suggested homosexuality should be criminalized and that AIDS does not exist.

Keren Neubach (Photo: IBA)

The demonstrations in support of Neubach were timed with the start of the radio host’s show following the 8 a.m. news bulletin. Dozens of slogan-bearing protesters participated in the demonstrations. One of the more frequently repeated was: “Keren, Keren, al tivchi, Bibi gam dafak oti.” (Keren, Keren don’t cry. Bibi [Netanyahu] screwed me too). Most barbs were aimed at Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, responsible for the implementation of the Broadcasting Authority Law.

Some referred to the influence of tycoons on the public radio administration, others contained a word play based on the Hebrew word iton (newspaper) with protesters shouting they don’t want a “Bibiton.” They accused Netanyahu of attempting to quell freedom of expression and criticism of the government on public broadcasting. Also Miki Shoshan, editor of Reshet Bet’s early morning news show “Haboker Hazeh,” was suspended on Tuesday, following complaints from Israel Broadcasting Authority officials that the program was “not balanced.”  In response to management’s complaints, Shoshan sent a reply to Reshet Bet director Yair Koren, denying a lack of balance in the treatment of any of those three stories.  “My concern is that what we have here is self-deprecation before political elements who heard things they didn’t like,” she wrote. “The feeling is one of immediate and one-sided censorship. The IBA journalists union canceled the broadcast of the show’s second hour, from 9 A.M. to 10 A.M., in protest of several recent moves to restrict and gag IBA staff.