| Kesher: Jüdische und Israelische
Medien
THE GREAT "PUTSCH" IN ISRAEL’S PRESS
HISTORY
Mordecai Naor
On February 15, 1948, when the yishuv was fighting for
its survival as the end of the British Mandate approached, a dramatic
journalistic event momentarily overshadowed the gravity of the country’s
military situation: the unannounced appearance of a new daily which, oddly,
closely resembled an existing one.
The new paper was titled "yediot" ("News")†-
a name well known to the Israeli public, which had been reading "yediot
Aharonot" ("Latest News") in large numbers since 1939. Beneath the word
"yediot"", however, in tiny print, appeared the word ""Ma'ariv"("Evening").
Confused readers who asked the newsboys what paper they were distributing
were told: "yediot", but new. "yediot" "Ma'ariv", which
later became, simply, "Ma'ariv", quickly surpassed the circulation of
its progenitor, although it did not displace it, as was the intent. By the
mid-1970s, "yediot" Aharonot was to pull ahead of its offspring, and
from then on resumed its pre-1948 status and became "the no. 1 newspaper of
Israel." By the turn of the 21st century, it commanded an unprecedented 70%
of the country’s readership. The bitter rivalry between the two papers,
however, did not subside until the main players had disappeared from the
arena. "yediot" Aharonot itself had been a pioneer in Hebrew
journalism in 1939 when it was founded as the first evening paper in the
yishuv. Until then, there were three Hebrew morning dailies - "Davar",
"Ha’aretz" and "Haboker", each of which also printed late
editions in the early afternoon. "yediot" was also distinctive in
another way: it was not politically affiliated or sponsored, as were
virtually all the other newspapers then. After an uncertain start, it became
a going concern in 1940 under the ownership of the Moses family - Yehuda, a
prominent Tel Aviv businessman, and his sons Alexander, owner of a printing
press, and Noah. Its editor in chief, Ezriel Carlebach, was a highly
respected journalist whose editorials attracted wide interest. He co-opted
in a group of talented writers, including Shalom Rosenfeld, Shmuel
Schnitzer, Dr. David Lazar and David Giladi.
Increasingly, this senior staff was uneasy with work
conditions at the paper due to the systematic intervention of the publisher,
Yehuda Moses, in editorial matters, especially in the area of economic
reportage. Moses would read the proofs of the paper each morning and order
deletions and changes based on his personal and commercial interests. The
straw that broke the camel’s back occurred when Carlebach was in New York in
late November 1947 covering the fateful UN debate over the partition of
Palestine. Following several reports which he cabled using the "urgent" rate
to rush them to Tel Aviv (a competitive advantage that increased the paper’s
circulation significantly), Moses telegraphed him curtly: "Stop cabling
urgent." Carlebach regarded this dictate as a gross personal insult and a
violation of his journalistic principles.
The incident set into motion a covert plan for a mass
exodus of "yediot" Aharonot staff that took place less than three
months later on February 15, 1948. It was led by Carlebach and the senior
staff cited above, along with a talented outside journalist, Aryeh
Dissentchik, who was to join the newly planned paper (he eventually became
its editor in chief upon Carlebach’s death). Several dozen other workers
were also involved in the "putsch," including reporters, press workers,
administrative staff and even the distributors of the paper. An attorney,
Yitzhak Berman (later speaker of the Knesset and a government minister) was
hired by the rebel group to attend to the legal aspects of the anticipated
walkout.
Carlebach and the senior staff made several vain efforts
to persuade Moses to change work procedures at the paper so that the staff
could do their work properly. These demands were rejected out of hand, and
the die was cast.
Not all the rebels were happy with the "putsch" strategy.
Several would have preferred a face-to-face confrontation with the publisher
and a formal resignation, but the majority were convinced that there was no
alternative. On Saturday night, February 14, 1948, an ultimatum written by
Carlebach was delivered to Moses demanding that he resign, in return for
which the newly organized paper that was about to appear would convey the
impression that a reorganization had taken place by mutual consent.
Otherwise, there could be no goodwill. That same night, Moses called the
rebels’ attorney, Berman, informing him that he rejected the ultimatum and
that he was going to set up the next day’s issue of "yediot" Aharonot
on his own that very night. Carlebach, upon hearing this response, dismissed
it as the raving of momentary madness.
Yet, the next day, when the first issues of "yediot"
"Ma'ariv" appeared, an edition of "yediot" Aharonot appeared
too. Carlebach and his people were astonished and dismayed at this nearly
impossible feat. After all, they had taken away most of the staff, along
with office equipment, printing plates, editorial content, and even the
ongoing serialized novel! Not a word appeared in "yediot" Aharonot
about the breakaway. The only noticeable change that day was the removal of
Carlebach’s name from the masthead. "yediot" "Ma'ariv", for
its part, introduced itself in a manifesto under the curiously minimalist
heading: "A New Format," which appeared on the back page. New American
printing machinery, the column explained, made possible the production of an
expanded (four sheets, as compared to "yediot" Aharonot’s two) and
improved evening paper. A change of ownership, the article continued, was
necessary to implement this change. Moreover, the new paper promised, it
would be non-dependent, whether on its backers or on any political body.
Yehuda Moses, having managed to continue putting out his
paper against all odds, promptly applied to the Tel Aviv District Court for
a temporary restraining order against any newspaper named "yediot" or
"yediot" "Ma'ariv", which was granted. Carlebach, however,
succeeded in having the order rescinded until the case was heard in court,
on condition that the title word "yediot" be printed no larger than a
third of the size of the word "Ma'ariv". With this, the judge ruled,
there can be no monopoly over the use of the word "yediot". The case,
heard on February 18-19, 1948, ended with the following verdict: No one has
the right to violate someone else’s property, including a newspaper or its
title. While the word "yediot" is not the property of the publisher,
nevertheless, the publishers of the new paper misled the public by failing
to announce that the paper was a new newspaper, by highlighting the word
"yediot" and obscuring the word "Ma'ariv", by the similarity or
replication of several columns of the old paper in the new paper, and by
causing a disruption in the distribution of the old paper as a result of the
disappearance of its distributor. The publisher of the new paper was ordered
to print the title "yediot" "Ma'ariv" in letters of equal
size, or, in any case, the word "yediot" could be no larger than the
word
"Ma'ariv".
Both papers lauded the verdict the following day, each
highlighting the aspect favorable to it. Ultimately, both sides were found
to be justified: Moses, who paid the piper, was entitled to call the tune;
Carlebach and his colleagues, who considered themselves unjustly restrained,
were entitled to quit the old paper which employed them and start a new one.
While the fortunes of each paper rose and fell following the startling
"putsch" of 1948, undeniably, both "Ma'ariv" and "yediot"
Aharonot played a decisive role in molding the Israeli media. |
