Left-wing activists have spent recent weeks pressuring hospitals and health funds to stop broadcasting Channel 14 on screens in public areas. Leading the campaign are Uri Misgav and Democrats party candidate Tomer Avital, who claim the channel spreads lies and incitement. Following these appeals, Meir and Rabin hospitals announced that news channels would no longer air on public screens—but an investigation by Yoman Tzaharayim reporter Matan Yitzhaki reveals a completely different picture.
As part of the initiative, Meir Medical Center told Dan Ben Yehuda, Misgav’s partner, that to keep public spaces pleasant and free of controversy, screens in waiting areas would switch to nature content and children’s programming. Similarly, Rabin Hospital sent a notice to departments announcing the decision to stop broadcasting news channels and switch exclusively to nature programming. Following the decision, Misgav published a post on July 21 presenting the move as a victory in his campaign, and called on the public to help expand the effort to additional medical institutions.
But an investigation reveals that at least in some areas of the hospitals that announced the switch from news channels to other content, different news channels were actually broadcasting. At Rabin Hospital’s outpatient clinics and Schneider’s emergency room, Channel 13 was documented on screens—contrary to the explicit directive. Likewise, at Meir Hospital, Channel 12 was documented broadcasting at the Breast Health Center and the Service and Information Center. The findings raise serious questions about how the decisions are being implemented at the hospitals. Requests to the hospitals for comment have not yet been answered.