"Israeli journalists have appealed to a British billionaire not to proceed with the sale of a stake in an Israeli television channel, which they warn would represent a severe blow to the independence of the country's media. Sir Leonard Blavatnik, listed by the Sunday Times as the UK's third richest person, is selling a nearly 15% share in Channel 13, a commercial channel that has run critical news coverage of Benjamin Netanyahu's government in recent years, including investigations into the prime minister's financial dealings."
"Blavatnik is selling to a telecoms tycoon, Patrick Drahi, who has French, Portuguese and Israeli nationalities. Drahi already owns a cable television company and a news channel in Israel that generally runs far less critical coverage of Netanyahu. The rest of Drahi's business empire is heavily in debt and he is embroiled in a legal battle with his creditors in the US."
Israeli journalists have appealed to Sir Leonard Blavatnik to halt the sale of his nearly 15% stake in Channel 13, warning that the transfer would severely weaken media independence. Blavatnik is selling to telecoms tycoon Patrick Drahi, who already owns Israeli cable assets and a news channel that is generally less critical of Benjamin Netanyahu. Drahi's wider business empire is heavily indebted and facing legal battles in the US. The Union of Journalists called the deal unlawful, asserted it fits a government plan to capture the media before elections, and warned a 15% purchase could yield de facto control.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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