Posted on 03/19/2014 5:16:55 PM PDT by Eleutheria5
Six MKs from a variety of Knesset parties proposed a controversial bill on Wednesday that would limit the distribution of free newspapers - including the popular daily Yisrael Hayom.
The bill, which was proposed by MKs Eitan Cabel (Labor), Robert Ilatov (Yisrael Beytenu), Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home), Elazar Stern (Hatnua), Ariel Atias (Shas) and Yoel Razvozov (Yesh Atid), seeks to ensure "true and fair competition between newspapers."
Analysts predict the law is likely to cause a brouhaha in the government, and that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will act to prevent it from passing. The law's opponents argue that the bill, if passed, could drastically change the balance of representative power in the Israeli press.
Under the bill, every newspaper which is defined as one of the four daily newspapers most widely circulated in Israel will be sold at a "nominal value" - about 70% of the price of the cheapest and most popular newspaper.
In addition, the bill would ban distributing free newspapers for more than a six-month period - and require the price of each paper to be printed prominently on the front page.
Media experts are expected to slam the bill for contributing to the ongoing decline in the newspaper industry...
(Excerpt) Read more at israelnationalnews.com ...
Why just newspapers? What about broadcast TV channels? They don’t charge. They pay their way from the sale of commercial time. What if a newspaper got all their revenue by selling advertising and classified space?
When we have our own version of Rush, they’ll do unto him what they are presently trying to do unto Yisrael Hayom.
What is it about Yisrael Hayom those behind the push for this law disagree with (besides free speech....)?
Imagine if every newspaper in America had to list it's PAID circulation figure on the cover for consumers and advertisers to consider. And then we could turn to the evening news to see what the # of viewers is compared to decades past...
It is a conservative publication, backed by Sheldon Adelson. It has been beating all of the for-cash newspapers, and played a role in driving Maariv into a desparate financial situation.
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