The attitude of the local press to marginal groups: between solidarity and alienation

The virtuoso art of bricolage research

“…Many articles in the local press presented the fishermen fighting the petrochemical plants as struggling for the principle of justice and not for financial compensation. The articles were important for two reasons: their content and the fact of their publication (Ben-Asher and Ben-Atar, 2016 ).…”

“…After 3 years of hearings and the report of the Shamgar Commission, the state accepted responsibility for treating the naval commandos who had contracted cancer and for assisting the families of those who subsequently died. The naval commandos' struggle received extensive coverage in the Israeli press for three years, from the publication of the original exposé to the state accepting responsibility (Ben-Asher and Ben-Atar, 2016 ).…”

“…The recognition and recognition of the plight of members of different social groups by members of other groups, and the construction of a reality by the media of a reality in which marginalized groups can be part of the social discourse are worthy goals for building a more just society. In an early study (Ben-Atar and Ben-Asher, 2015 ; Ben-Asher and Ben-Atar, 2016 ), we examined whether there is justice and equality among citizens in Israeli society. The study examined whether it is possible that the Israeli media openly and almost explicitly favored one social group (the commandos) over another (the fishermen).…”

“…Unexpectedly and without planning, our research received an empirical basis for a comparative study of the public national and local media in the case of the Kishon fishermen. We examined how the opportunity was used or missed to give a local, weak, and marginalized group a public stage to present its struggle and to win social recognition similar to that of the naval commandos (Ben-Asher and Ben-Atar, 2016 ).…”