If you tuned into the December 11 broadcast of TVO’s The Agenda hoping to hear a balanced discussion about Israel’s political future, your hopes were most likely met with disappointment.
The show featured a lengthy interview with Anchor Steve Paikin and Gershom Gorenberg, Israeli author and historian, (watch by clicking here) who discussed the political climate leading up to the March election, along with a panel discussion on the topic of a one, two or three state solution with the following guests:
The panel discussion (watch by clicking here or immediately below) was described as follows by the Agenda: “Less than two years since their last election, Israelis will be headed back to the polls. In the wake of the third war with Hamas in five years, security will likely be a central issue in the election. What could this mean for Israel/Palestine relations and the future of the two-state solution? The Agenda examines the current political climate in Israel.”
It was regrettable that The Agenda’s program did not feature a single guest from either the centre or right of the Israeli political scene. The pundits that were featured by The Agenda were from what can be described as the left wing and their comments therefore reflected the lean-left approach to policy making in Israel. (The show, it should note, did include a very brief clip from Bloomberg News with right-leaning Israeli leader Naftalie Bennett, Israel’s Economic Minister.)
For coverage of Canadian elections, The Agenda would surely feature pundits who can reflect on the Liberal, Conservative, and NDP positions. While HonestReporting Canada is apolitical, a media monitoring organization tasked to be politically neutral, we note with regret that this program was unbalanced and that there was a missed opportunity to hear about the true depth of Israeli politics, its vibrancy and all its many robust streams from the left, centre, and right.
The Agenda claims to be “TVO’s flagship current affairs program offering in-depth analysis and intelligent debate on issues of concern in the rapidly changing world around us.” Regretfully, this broadcast did not live up to its standards.
For individuals wishing to encourage The Agenda to produce balanced programming about matters pertaining to Israel, feel free to send feedback to The Agenda by clicking here or by emailing correspondence to the program directly at asktvo@tvo.org. Please refer to the program’s December 11 broadcast dubbed “Israel’s political future”.
