Tell the Harsh Truth
By Barbara Sofer
Dec. 11, 2003
This paper devoted its Up Front cover story last week to Israel's public relations, our so-called hasbara. What a patronizing word. Has anyone ever started a conversation with "Let me explain it to you"? Not exactly an eye-level chat. Considering the dismal state and continued failure of hasbara I offer the following suggestions, garnered from my personal experience.
Much of the theorizing about public relations ignores the everyday reality of how we treat journalists. In addition to my life as a writer, over the last two years I've had the privilege of serving as the liaison for Hadassah (the women's organization and the hospitals) to the foreign press. I've worked with hundreds of foreign journalists and film teams preparing stories about Israel, among them the BBC, CNN, French, German, Dutch and Norwegian stations.
One of the films, CNBC's Jerusalem ER, recently won an Emmy. The world's leading news program 60 Minutes featured Hadassah Hospital as true island of peace. I may not have loved every element, every quote or every slant, but the overall reportage was respectful, accurate and positive for Israel. Here are the key elements that have made it work.
Allow as close to total access as possible. Don't waste energy trying to hide anything. A good journalist will ferret out secrets. Any patient or staff member who agrees to be interviewed (children need a parent's consent), no matter how far Right or Left � is free to do so.
More than that. You can be sensitive to the needs of the press and encourage people to cooperate. No one is busier than hospital staff, but if approached respectfully, even harried brain surgeons found time for inquisitive reporters.
Don't expect reporters to know basics. The nature of news today is that reporters are shifted from country to country. The foreign film teams I worked with were surprised that Jews and Arabs share waiting rooms and lie bed-to-bed in Israeli hospitals. Why shouldn't reporters be confused? Hadassah was actually attacked at the United Nations for accepting only Jewish patients. Anyone who has spent five minutes in an Israeli hospital knows this is a vile lie. You can gnash your teeth and complain that journalists are superficial, or provide needed background and go on from there.
INVITE THE press inside the action. No one wants second-hand news.
Every foreign reporter should be invited to write what used to be called a "paper tiger" story, spending a shift in uniform at the checkpoints alongside an Israeli soldier or checking an ambulance for explosives. They'd understand why we Israelis hate checkpoints, too.
Protect reporters and photographers from Israelis angry at the press.
You'd be astonished at how many of us feel it's our national duty to insult journalists. Camera crews draw the curious and the furious. Ironically, despite the nasty things said about journalists, we expect them to be above personal feelings. I haven't met that person. No matter how high-minded the reporter is, writing enthusiastically about someone who has been obnoxious remains difficult.
Be willing to respond fast. "Maybe tomorrow" is rarely a good enough answer for a reporter. Most journalists face immediate deadline pressure.
Not your problem? It is indeed your problem if you want to tell your version. Another small point � if reporters arrive late � often a function of their unpredictable lives � don't begin your interview by scolding.
Think like a journalist but not for a journalist. Suggest interesting stories but don't attempt to dictate what a journalist does. No one wants your filter on the story unless you're being interviewed. Try not to share your personal dislikes. That your colleague is a nincompoop or you hate feminists isn't the business of a film crew. Besides, they don't care.
When asked to translate, do so honestly. Either you're trustworthy or you're not.
Try to know something about the media with whom you're working. Newspapers and journalists are an Internet search away. The difference may not mean much, but reporters from The Washington Post don't like being confused with The Washington Times, and vice versa.
Don't expect reporters to agree to preconditions. No one wants to sign away rights to a film or to have you screen quotes. Be delighted that someone doing a story asks for your input.
Don't cover up the ugly reality.
Visiting federations who invite their local reporter to come along on a trip have found they have a far more understanding local press when they go home. What a great idea.
Each reporter � from papers large and small, countries large and small � deserves courteous attention.
The brash, know-it-all side of our personality isn't a natural for public relations. What we need is to expose the compassionate underside that is in reality so much a part of Israeli life.
