Pro-Israel television ad campaign snubbed by CNN

Two American Jewish organizations - the American Jewish Committee and ISRAEL21c - have launched a national television advertising campaign designed to increase America's appreciation for Israel's democratic society and the individual freedoms of all its citizens. CNN refused to broadcast the advertisements nationally.

The two organizations launched the advertising campaign in Washington, DC on September 12th to coincide with the beginning of the Jewish New Year. The campaign's two 30-second spots utilize vivid pictures and words to convey the vitality of Israeli society, where, like in the United States, every citizen - Arab, Christian, or Jew - enjoys the right to vote; every individual - Muslim, Christian or Jew - enjoys freedom of religion, and every person - male or female - enjoys emancipation and equal access to education, employment and health care.

"The ads emphasize that Israel is a democracy, very much like the United States," said Ken Bandler, a spokesman for the American Jewish Committee.

"We want Americans to know just how much Israel and the United States have in common," said Zvi Alon, founder and chairman of ISRAEL21c. "In Israel, democracy means every citizen of Israel, both Arab and Jew, enjoy the same freedoms and opportunities as Americans have in the United States. We want every American to know that in Israel's democracy, Arabs and women vote, in fact 17 women and 10 Arabs have seats in the Israeli parliament."

CNN refuses to air ads nationally The advertisements began airing on Fox News, CNBC, MSNBC and CNN in New York and California's Silicon Valley, but CNN rejected a request to air the ads on a nationwide basis. Larry Weinberg, executive vice president of ISRAEL21c, said he had sought to buy time directly from CNN to ensure that it would air on every CNN station.

Despite appeals to Walter Isaacson, CEO of the Atlanta-based network, CNN said it was turning down the ads. Originally it stated the ads might endanger the network's correspondents around the world. CNN later issued a statement saying the network "is not airing advocacy advertising regarding international issues from regions in conflict."

"Our ad says nothing about conflict," Weinberg said. "It's pure and simple education, telling people that Israel is a democracy. It's CNN that is being political. Are they the media or are they politics?"

Despite CNN's decision, the organizations will be able to place the ads on CNN in local markets. The American Jewish Committee ad, which begins with the statement "Israel is America's real ally in the Middle East," is airing on Time Warner in Manhattan and Cablevision in Westchester, as well as in the Washington area.

"We plan to roll it out nationally over the next several weeks and assess its effectiveness," Bandler said.

For the American Jewish Committee (AJC), producing a television ad is a natural step in the organization's overall advocacy efforts on behalf of Israel. Founded in 1906, AJC is the United States' oldest human relations agency, and its central mission is advancing democracy, pluralism and mutual understanding through education and diplomacy.

For ISRAEL21c, a Cupertino, California-based non-profit founded just after the beginning of the second Intifada, the television campaign is a natural progression as well. Its mission is to focus public and media attention on the Israel that exists beyond the conflict; the Israel of high tech development and advanced medical research; the Israel that is a force for decency and democracy in the world. The TV ad's democracy message is a perfect extension of the organization's educational and informational objectives which began with the launch of its website in November 2001.

First Jewish American organization television campaign The television advertisements marks the first time that a major Jewish American organization has launched such a campaign to improve Israel's image. The new media approach is based on research by Jennifer Laszlo-Mizrachi, a Democratic political consultant, who worked alongside Democratic consultant Stanley Greenberg and Republican strategist Frank Luntz.

"It is astonishing, but even well informed American opinion leaders are badly informed about Israel," Laszlo-Mizrachi said, quoted in the Jerusalem Report. "They don't know what Israel has done for peace and they don't know that Israel has a voting Arab population that is represented in the Knesset. They buy the newspaper, but they don't read it."

While the Palestinians drill in the repeated message of 'occupation, occupation,' Israel's message had to be consistent and repeated: 'democracy and peace,' Laszlo-Mizrachi said.

Some interesting info here - source link - August 23, 2002

Israel May Get Image Makeover From U.S. Spin Doctors

LESLIE SUSSER

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

JERUSALEM -- Israeli officials are notoriously loath to learn from outsiders -- but they have been deeply impressed by an American study of Israel's public relations needs in the United States, and say they intend to carry out most of its recommendations.

Among them: Be less confrontational and more hopeful in television appearances; don't trash Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat or the Palestinian people; and, whenever possible, stress Israel's desire for peace, its vibrant democracy and the values it shares with America.

Steven Cohen, a professor at the Melton Centre at Hebrew University, puts the strategy this way: "When you're speaking for Israel, say the word 'peace' four times, like the other side says 'occupation' four times."

The study is part of the Israel PR Project led by Democratic Party consultant Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, with polling and analysis by Democratic consultant Stanley Greenberg and Republican strategist Frank Luntz.

Mizrahi and Greenberg came to Israel in late July to present their findings, and were followed two weeks later by Luntz. All three met officials in the Prime Minister's Office, the Foreign Ministry and the Army Spokesman's Office -- and all three, officials say, made a powerful impression.

"I have been working in this job for two years now and I say this is a huge contribution, because it gives us a quality of feedback we have never had before," says Gidon Meir, the deputy director general of Israel's Foreign Ministry. "It will enable us to build a more professional campaign."

Until now Israeli public relations has not been able to afford the professionals who could give it this kind of advice, Meir said. His annual public relations budget at the Foreign Ministry is only $9 million, and last year he turned down an offer for similar research because he simply couldn't afford the $1.2 million cost, Meir said.

Already, Meir said, his ministry is reshaping the way it packages Israeli government policies to the media.

"We are discussing the suffering of the Palestinians, the shared values of democracy, the fight against terror," Meir said. "And we are always emphasizing the light at the end of the tunnel. Even after a major terror attack, we are asking, 'Are the Palestinians better off now than they were two years ago'" before the intifada began?

Meir agrees with most of the consultants' recommendations -- but not all.

"If we talk terror, terror, terror all the time, and don't add hope at the end, maybe we are missing the mark," he says. "We must tell the Americans that we and the Palestinians are suffering because they don't want peace. If they did, we would welcome them with open arms, as we did Egypt's President Anwar Sadat and Jordan's King Hussein."

But Israeli officials balk at stopping their negative campaign against Arafat. They point out that discrediting Arafat is not just a public relations gambit, but a central element of Israeli policy.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, they say, really believes that as long as Arafat is around there is no chance of peace with the Palestinians, and that Israel's biggest foreign policy success since the intifada began two years ago has been convincing the Bush administration that Arafat must go.

The foundation for the change in administration policy was laid by a PR effort launched last December, Meir says, followed up by a file on Arafat put together by Cabinet minister Dan Naveh.

It was sealed by the revelation of Arafat's involvement in the Karine-A arms smuggling affair in January and the documents found by Israeli intelligence in Arafat's Ramallah headquarters in April, implicating him directly in financing terrorist groups.

But as the Palestinians desperately try to revive Arafat's fortunes, Israel must continue explaining why he must be replaced and Palestinian institutions reformed to allow a genuine peace process, officials say.

Indeed, Sharon's PR people claim that Labor party leaders such as Foreign Minister Shimon Peres -- and the latest leadership hopeful, Haifa Mayor Amram Mitzna -- who indicate that they would talk to Arafat are undermining this policy at a critical time, when only a few more weeks or months are needed for its final success.

The Arafat issue aside, the key problem in Israeli hasbarah, or public relations, has been its narrative of peacemakers fighting terrorists against the Palestinian narrative of freedom fighters opposing occupiers. That has led to Israel's emphasis on the nihilistic and immoral nature of Palestinian terror and the duplicity of the Palestinian leadership.

In many focus groups, however, this leads to a kind of "moral equivalence," a blurred perception of violence and suffering on both sides and an inability to distinguish between them, the American group says. Both sides are seen as aggressors, both as victims, both as having justified claims.

The insight that most impressed the Israelis, Meir says, is that to break this PR deadlock, Israel should stress the uniqueness of its relationship with the American people. That is what will make Israel, rather than the Palestinians, special in the collective American consciousness.

Despite Meir's enthusiasm, the plan was received less warmly in Sharon's office.

Sharon spokesman Ra'anan Gissin called polls "subjects of some circumspection," and compared public relations to "cosmetics."

"In order to have good hasbarah, Israel has to stand by its birthright. We failed because we neglected to explain that Jews have a birthright to live here, not just a security need," Gissin said. "But our neighbors haven't recognized our right to live here."

Ironically, Luntz says the historical message is precisely one that Israel should play down.

In tests where viewers used a dial to indicate their reactions to a television advertisement, the needle sank upon mention of the Jews' ancient connection to Israel. That's because it makes viewers think the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a timeless blood feud that will never be resolved, Luntz said.

When the ad stressed Israel's multiculturalism and democracy, response ratings shot up.

Privately, several sources said Gissin's confrontational media appearances were singled out for criticism, with Cohen saying Gissin has been described as "bellicose."

Gissin doubted that all Israeli spokespersons would accept the new PR directive.

"Israel is a democracy, a complex political system, and you can't organize your PR like in other types of regimes -- you can't speak in one voice," he said.

But Meir, who is responsible for public relations in the Foreign Ministry and often appears on camera to give Israel's perspective, said he intends to implement the American strategy.

"I asked Frank Luntz to take all his findings and summarize them on a page or two, and we will distribute them to all our spokespeople," he said.

The coming weeks and months will tell if it makes any difference.

JTA Staff Writer Joe Berkofsky in New York contributed to this report.

Leslie Susser is the diplomatic correspondent for the Jerusalem Report.

For more JTA stories, go to http://www.jta.org

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(I saw the above article after there had been another Arab terror attack, so it read a little differently in that context.) Ex: Be less confrontational and more hopeful in television appearances; don't trash Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat or the Palestinian people; and, whenever possible, stress Israel's desire for peace, its vibrant democracy and the values it shares with America.

Sure sounded like Democratic thinking....and, what do ya know?!....

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Write on, Ra'anan!

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Ironically, Luntz says the historical message is precisely one that Israel should play down.

Is that what they said, Mr. Luntz, or, is that your opinion?

....the needle sank upon mention of the Jews' ancient connection to Israel.

Tough sh!t that that bothers some people!

When the ad stressed Israel's multiculturalism and democracy, response ratings shot up.

Just another subtle way of saying Jews have to be "universal" in their eyes and are not entitled to fill in the blank. Wonder if they'll accept my "multi-colored" nail polished middle finger salute?! /sarcasm

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