EBU urges Israel to keep public broadcasting budget outside government control

To protect the value of independent public media, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) is calling for an end to Israel’s efforts to place the budget of public broadcaster KAN under direct government control.

“We are deeply concerned by the Israeli government’s proposed law that would allow it to modify or cancel items in the public broadcaster’s budget, thereby jeopardizing the editorial and financial independence of public media,” said Noel Curran, director general of the EBU.

“This development could be interpreted as an attempt by the Israeli government to exert greater direct control over KAN.”

KAN, an independent television and radio network run by the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, is now funded by a fee collected by the Ministry of Transportation and other sources, including advertising and archival licensing.

The Israeli public broadcaster has been a member of the EBU, the world’s leading public service media alliance, since 1957.

KAN criticized the move, saying its current budget structure is designed “to prevent political intervention in its content” and that the proposed change “is another attempt to undermine the independence and importance” of the Public Corporation. Israeli broadcasting.