Strong curbs on the press were demanded in the Knesset yesterday in the aftermath of the suicide of Housing Minister Avraham Ofer. The Israeli news media was taken to task for “the vile effects of libel, slander and gossip.” Ofer, who had been under police investigation for alleged illegal acts when he headed the Histadrut housing company Shikun Ovdim, had complained to friends before his death that he was a victim of harassment by the press.
Justice Minister Haim Zadok observed that freedom of the press is a fundamental right but not an absolute one. He noted that the Knesset’s legal committee is presently considering two private members bills that would bar newspapers from publishing the name of any person charged with an offense until the person is indicted or unless disclosure was clearly in the public interest. The motions were presented by Avraham Melamed of the National Religious Party and Ehud Olmart of Likud.
Zadok said newspaper editors opposed these measures just as they had opposed the libel law enacted ten years ago. However, he conceded that “the libel law has not succeeded in protecting the reputation and good name of citizens” because “libel trials often take years and usually generate more unpleasantness than the original libel.” He also said that the penalties prescribed by the law were hardly meaningful. The debate on alleged excesses by the press was asked for by MK Shlomo Lorincz of the Aguda bloc.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
