Newspapers in Israel are mostly in Hebrew, but there are also newspapers catering to Arabic speakers, and newspapers catering to immigrants speaking a variety of languages, such as Russian, English and French. In 2022, a TGI survey indicated that Israel Hayom , distributed for free, is Israel's most read newspaper, with a 31% weekday readership exposure, followed by Yedioth Ahronoth , with 23.9%, Haaretz with 4.7%, and Maariv with 3.5%. [1]
Ha-Levanon , the first Hebrew-language newspaper in pre-state Israel, was published on February 20, 1863. [2] It was founded by Yoel Moshe Salomon (later a founder of Petah Tikva) and Michal HaCohen (later a founder of Nahalat Shiv'a). About six months later, another Jerusalem weekly, HaHavatzelet, was founded by Yisrael Bak, who established the first Hebrew printing press in Jerusalem. [3]
An analysis of the press of Palestine under the British Mandate in 1949 states: "Palestine was a special case in journalism. No other area with a population of two million, of whom at least 30 percent are illiterate, could boast of 18 morning dailies, three evening papers, and a host of weeklies, bi-weeklies and monthlies." [4]
In 2015, Reuters correspondent Tova Cohen described Israeli society in 2012 as "news-obsessed." [5] Israel has a high newspaper readership rate, due to a combination of high literacy rate and a cultural interest in politics and current affairs. Average weekday readership of newspapers in Israel is around 21 papers per 100 people, although many Israelis end up reading more than one paper.
The Israeli Declaration of Independence, formally the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, was proclaimed on 14 May 1948 by David Ben-Gurion, the Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, and later first Prime Minister of Israel. It declared the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-Israel, to be known as the State of Israel, which would come into effect on termination of the British Mandate at midnight that day. The event is celebrated annually in Israel as Independence Day, a national holiday on 5 Iyar of every year according to the Hebrew calendar.
Haaretz is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. It is published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with The New York Times International Edition. Its Hebrew and English editions are available on the internet. In North America, it is published as a weekly newspaper, combining articles from the Friday edition with a roundup from the rest of the week. Haaretz is Israel's newspaper of record. It is known for its left-wing and liberal stances on domestic and foreign issues.
The Jerusalem Post is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as The Palestine Post. In 1950, it changed its name to The Jerusalem Post. In 2004, the paper was bought by Mirkaei Tikshoret, a diversified Israeli media firm controlled by investor Eli Azur. The Jerusalem Post is published in English. Previously, it also had a French edition.
Maariv is a Hebrew-language daily newspaper published in Israel.
Yishuv, HaYishuv HaIvri, or HaYishuv HaYehudi Be'Eretz Yisra'el denotes the body of Jewish residents in Palestine prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The term came into use in the 1880s, when there were about 25,000 Jews living in that region, and continued to be used until 1948, by which time there were some 630,000 Jews there. The term is still in use to denote the pre-1948 Jewish residents in Palestine, corresponding to the southern part of Ottoman Syria until 1918, OETA South in 1917–1920, and Mandatory Palestine in 1920–1948.
Yedioth Ahronoth is an Israeli daily newspaper published in Tel Aviv. Founded in 1939, when Tel Aviv was part of Mandatory Palestine, Yedioth Ahronoth is Israel's largest paid newspaper by sales and circulation and has been described as "undoubtedly the country's number-one paper." It is published in the tabloid format.
Globes is a Hebrew-language daily evening financial newspaper in Israel. Globes was founded in the early 1980s and published in Tel Aviv, Israel. It deals with economic issues and news from the Israeli and international business worlds. The paper is printed on salmon-colored paper, inspired by the British Financial Times.
Davar was a Hebrew-language daily newspaper published in the British Mandate of Palestine and Israel between 1925 and May 1996. It was relaunched in 2016, under the name Davar Rishon as an online outlet by the Histadrut.
Arutz Sheva, also known in English as Israel National News, is an Israeli media network identifying with religious Zionism. It offers online news articles in Hebrew, English, and Russian as well as live streaming radio, video and free podcasts. It also publishes a weekly newspaper, B'Sheva, with the third-largest weekend circulation in the country.
HaZvi was a Hebrew-language newspaper published in Jerusalem from 1884 to 1914 by Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, a pioneer of the revival of Hebrew as a spoken tongue.
Itamar Ben-Avi was the first native speaker of Hebrew in modern times. He was a journalist and Zionist activist.
There are over ten different languages in the Israeli media, with Hebrew as the predominant one. Press in Arabic caters to the Arab citizens of Israel, with readers from areas including those governed by the Palestinian National Authority. During the eighties and nineties, the Israeli press underwent a process of significant change as the media gradually came to be controlled by a limited number of organizations, whereas the papers published by political parties began to disappear. Today, three large, privately owned conglomerates based in Tel Aviv dominate the mass media in Israel.
Israel Hayom is an Israeli national Hebrew-language free daily newspaper. Distributed for free around Israel, it is the country's most widely distributed newspaper. Owned by the family of Sheldon Adelson, a businessman, political donor, and personal friend and benefactor of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel Hayom has often been criticized for portraying Netanyahu in an overly positive light. In turn, Netanyahu has been accused of attempting to benefit Adelson's investments.
Mishpacha- Jewish Family Weekly is a Haredi weekly magazine package produced by The Mishpacha Group in both English and Hebrew.
B'Sheva is a weekly Hebrew language newspaper published in Israel.
The Times of Israel is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman. Based in Jerusalem, it "documents developments in Israel, the Middle East and around the Jewish world." Along with its original English site, The Times of Israel publishes in Hebrew, Arabic, French, and Persian. In addition to publishing news reports and analysis, the website hosts a multi-author blog platform.
Al-Ittihad is an Arabic language daily newspaper in Israel. Based in Haifa, it was established in 1944 and is owned by the Israeli Communist Party. It is the oldest Arabic media outlet in Israel and considered the most important. The newspaper is currently edited by Aida Touma-Suleiman.
Yoel Moshe Salomon was a meshulach, entrepreneur and farmer in Ottoman Palestine. He was one of the co-founders of HaLevanon, the first Hebrew language newspaper printed in Palestine. He co-founded numerous Jewish settlements there, including Nahalat Shiv'a, Petah Tikva and Yehud.
HaLevanon was the first Hebrew-language newspaper to be published in the Land of Israel. Published between 1863 and 1886, its chief editor was Yehiel Bril. HaLevanon was at various points in time distributed in Jerusalem, Paris, Mainz and London.