Haaretz

Haaretz
Name	Haaretz
Type	Daily newspaper
Format	Broadsheet and online
Foundation	1918
Owners	Schocken family; Amos Schocken
Publisher	Amos Schocken
Chiefeditor	Aluf Benn
Language	Hebrew, English
Political	Left-wing, liberal
Headquarters	Tel Aviv, Israel
Circulation	Declining print, significant online readership

Haaretz is an Israeli daily newspaper founded in 1918, published in Hebrew with a long-standing English edition. It is known for liberal and left-leaning commentary, cultural journalism, investigative reporting, and commentary on Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Middle East affairs, and international relations. The paper has influenced public debate in Israel and abroad, engaging with topics from Zionism and Yishuv history to contemporary issues involving Knesset politics, Israeli Supreme Court, and peace process negotiations.

History

Haaretz emerged during the late Ottoman and British Mandate periods alongside publications such as Davar and Al HaMishmar, evolving through the interwar years and the 1948 establishment of State of Israel. Early editors and contributors included figures associated with General Zionists and the Labor Zionism milieu, responding to events such as the Balfour Declaration and the 1929 Palestine riots. In the 1950s and 1960s the newspaper covered pivotal events including the Suez Crisis, the Six-Day War, and the Yom Kippur War, often publishing analyses by intellectuals tied to Hebrew University of Jerusalem and commentators familiar with Histadrut dynamics. During the 1980s and 1990s Haaretz shifted editorially and technologically amid competition from Yedioth Ahronoth, Maariv, and the emergence of Israeli television channels like Channel 2 (Israel). The paper adapted to digital transition with the launch of an English online edition that reached readers in cities such as New York City, London, Washington, D.C., and Berlin.

Ownership and Management

Ownership consolidated in the Schocken family, notably Ted Schocken lineage and publisher Amos Schocken, who steered expansion and editorial policy. Corporate governance intersected with media rivals and investors including entities comparable to Nadav Shoval-era businesspeople and private equity actors in Israeli media markets. Management has featured editors with backgrounds at institutions such as The Jerusalem Post, Bloomberg, and academic ties to Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Board decisions reflected pressures from advertisers linked to conglomerates resembling Bezeq and Bank Hapoalim as well as legal interactions with courts including the Israeli Supreme Court over libel and press freedom disputes. International partnerships involved collaboration with global outlets and syndication comparable to relationships between The New York Times, The Guardian, and wire services such as Reuters and AFP.

Editorial Stance and Political Positioning

The paper's editorial line has been characterized by liberal, progressive, and dovish positions on matters such as West Bank policy, settlements, and negotiations with the Palestine Liberation Organization. Columnists and opinion pages have hosted figures associated with Meretz, liberal wings of Israeli Labor Party, and commentators conversant with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and International Criminal Court debates. Coverage often engages legal perspectives from jurists connected to the Israeli Supreme Court and scholars from Bar-Ilan University and Hebrew University of Jerusalem. At times its stance has been contrasted with right-leaning outlets like Israel Hayom and conservative commentators aligned with Likud. The paper has published investigative pieces influencing inquiries resembling those by State Comptroller of Israel and parliamentary committees in the Knesset.

Format and Sections

Print editions historically used broadsheet layout with sections for national news, international affairs, culture, and opinion; cultural coverage intersected with writers on Hebrew literature, Israeli cinema, and arts festivals such as Jerusalem Film Festival. Regular sections include investigative reporting, business and finance akin to coverage of entities like Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, science and technology with features on research from Weizmann Institute of Science, and lifestyle and travel pieces referencing destinations such as Jerusalem, Haifa, and Eilat. The English edition reproduces analyses for expatriate and academic readers, including book reviews engaging with works by Amos Oz, David Grossman, A. B. Yehoshua, and translations of Hebrew commentary. Supplements and weekend magazines have included longform essays similar to features found in The Atlantic and arts criticism comparable to pieces in The New Yorker.

Circulation, Distribution, and Audience

Circulation trends mirrored global print declines with growing online readership across platforms accessed in cities like Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, New York City, London, and Paris. Demographically the audience has included Israeli intelligentsia, academia, diplomats accredited to Israel, NGO personnel from groups like B'Tselem and journalists from outlets such as BBC News, CNN, and Al Jazeera. Distribution networks involved newsstands and subscription services competing with Yedioth Ahronoth and Israel Hayom, while the digital strategy targeted diaspora readers via social media platforms and RSS aggregation used by research centers and university libraries including Columbia University and Oxford University.

Influence, Criticism, and Controversies

The paper has influenced public debates on subjects including settlements, security policy, and judicial review, prompting responses from political figures in Likud, Blue and White, and Labor Party. It has faced criticism from conservative politicians and media outlets accusing it of bias, and legal challenges over alleged defamation and reporting on intelligence matters connected to agencies like Shin Bet and IDF. Controversies have included disputes over op-eds and editorials that elicited reactions from diplomats, NGOs, and international bodies such as United Nations envoys; internal debates about advertising revenue and editorial independence echoed conflicts seen in media entities worldwide. Despite critiques, the paper remains cited in academic work, parliamentary inquiries, and commentary by public intellectuals affiliated with institutions like Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, and international think tanks including Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Brookings Institution.

Category:Israeli newspapers