IsraelPolitik is an official blog of the Consulate General of Israel in New York, and the second blog to be administered by the Israeli Consulate’s media and public affairs team.[1] It was initiated by David Saranga, Consul for Media and Public Affairs, following the launch of isRealli, which was the first official blog to ever be created by a government.[1] IsraelPolitik covers political news in Israel by posting up-to-date news clips, official briefs, and exclusive articles and interviews.[2] The site was launched on May 18, 2007 and is maintained on a frequent basis.[3]
Public Diplomacy 2.0 and IsraelPolitik edit
IsraelPolitik is one of the tools Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Consulate in New York are using in order to reach new audiences.[1] In an interview with the New York Times during the war in Gaza in January 2009, Consul David Saranga at the Israeli Consulate in New York was quoted saying: “Since the definition of war has changed, the definition of public diplomacy has to change as well.”[4]
IsraelPolitik on Twitter edit
The blog garnered a slew of high-profile media attention and coverage during the war in Gaza from December 2008 to January 2009, when the Israeli Consulate in New York conducted the first-ever citizen press conference on Twitter, and posted the transcript on IsraelPolitik.[5][6] The Twitter press conference, initiated by Consul David Saranga,[7] was designed to answer people’s questions about Operation Cast Lead in a series of brief “tweets”, as part of a new media effort to reach tech-savvy audiences.[8][9][10]
Categories edit
IsraelPolitik categories include: Citizen Press Conference, Conflict, International, Interviews, Media, Middle East, Operation Cast Lead, Peace, Politics, and Terrorism.[citation needed]
Demographic edit
IsraelPolitik attracts users from more than 85 countries from across the globe, including Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, France, Iran, Egypt, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, and many more.[citation needed]
References edit
- ^ a b c New blog presents plight of Israelis in Sderot, By Josh Hamerman, June 21, 2007.
- ^ Exploring Social Media: Live Citizens Press Conference on Twitter, The Blog Herald, by Lorelle VanFossen, December 31, 2008.
- ^ IsraelPolitik March 18, 2009.
- ^ The Toughest Q’s Answered in the Briefest Tweets, New York Times, by Noam Cohen, January 3, 2009.
- ^ Israeli Military Takes to the Web, ABC.com, By Ki Mae Heussner, January 2, 2009.
- ^ Winning the media war, by Rachel Shabi, January 10, 2009.
- ^ Internet, l'autre zone de guerre d'Israël, Le Figaro, by Laurent Suply, December 31, 2008.
- ^ Israel uses YouTube, Twitter to share its point of view, CNN.com, by Samira J. Simone.
- ^ Israeli Consulate to hold public press conference via Twitter Archived 2008-12-30 at the Wayback Machine, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, by Daniel Sieradski, December 29, 2008.
- ^ Battlefront Twitter Archived 2011-11-10 at the Wayback Machine, Jerusalem Post, By Haviv Rettig Gur, December 30, 2008.