The Seventh Eye

The Seventh Eye is an independent Israeli media outlet devoted to reporting on, investigating and analyzing the mass media, particularly the Israeli communications system. It examines how news is produced and presented, how editorial decisions shape public understanding, and how journalism interacts with political power, economic interests, advertising and the public’s right to information.

The project began as a printed periodical and later continued as a website. Its transformation from a bimonthly journal into an online publication preserved its original mission while allowing it to publish news reports, investigative articles, commentary and press reviews on an ongoing basis. Rather than treating the media only as a channel for information, The Seventh Eye makes the media itself an object of public scrutiny.

From a printed journal to a public platform

The journal was launched in 1996 with funding from the Israel Democracy Institute. Its founding group of journalists included Uzi Benziman of Haaretz, Nahum Barnea of Yedioth Ahronoth, Carmit Guy of Israel’s public broadcasting system and Rafi Mann of Maariv. Uzi Benziman served as the founding editor. Their professional backgrounds gave the publication an unusually direct view of newsroom practice and of the pressures that influence reporting.

The name is a play on the Hebrew expression “to watch with seven eyes.” In the journal’s first issue, Benziman described The Seventh Eye as a forum inviting the Israeli media to look at itself with seven eyes. This became more than a title: it expressed the publication’s central purpose of examining not only what the media reports, but also how it frames events, which voices it amplifies and what interests may shape its coverage.

The final printed issue, number 70, appeared in January 2008. Until then, the journal had been published every two months. Economic and organizational considerations led the editors to end the print edition and transfer the activity to the internet. The move enabled more frequent publication and allowed the project to respond more quickly to developments in the media landscape.

Examining the media behind the headlines

The website publishes daily news reports, investigative pieces and articles on the media in its broadest sense. One of its defining features is its press review, which analyzes how major newspapers cover significant events, compares their framing and headlines, and considers the character of their reporting.

The Seventh Eye addresses the conduct of news organizations, political and personal biases, the structure of the media market, and the influence of wealth and government on media institutions and their participants. It also examines the intrusion of advertising and propaganda into editorial content, the condition of freedom of expression in Israel, and attempts to undermine it.

Its work gives readers tools for understanding not only what was published, but how and why a particular account came into being. By documenting the relationships among media organizations, owners, advertisers, public bodies and political actors, The Seventh Eye contributes to media literacy and to a more informed reading of the news.

The website and its editorial development

In November 2012, Hanoch Marmari replaced Uzi Benziman as the website’s editor in chief; Marmari left the position in April 2015. The supplied archive material identifies Shuki Tausig as the site’s editor, Oren Persico and Itamar B-Z as staff writers, and Rachel Peretz as language editor. Many journalists and intellectuals have also contributed articles on a regular or occasional basis.

In 2015, following budget cuts, the Israel Democracy Institute ended its support for The Seventh Eye. That year, the New Israel Fund became the site’s principal funding body, while the Kohelet Forum was also identified as a donor. Since April 2015, the publisher has been the nonprofit “The Seventh Eye – Independent, Investigative and Free Journalism,” headed by attorney Elad Man and including the site’s writers and editors. A shortage of financial resources led the organization to launch a fundraising campaign to support its continued operation.

“Truth in Advertising”

A partnership with the Israeli Forum for Sustainable Nutrition produced the “Truth in Advertising” project. It examined advertising campaigns and journalistic publications concerning nutrition, the environment and public health. The project included critical articles on sensationalist media coverage of scientific studies and on a misleading campaign by food corporations.

The project connected media criticism with issues that directly affect people’s lives. Information about nutrition and health can influence personal decisions and public policy; examining how research is presented, promoted and reported is therefore part of protecting the quality of public discussion. The initiative extended The Seventh Eye’s work beyond newsroom practice into questions of science communication, consumer information and public health.

Union with Shakuf

In September 2020, The Seventh Eye announced its decision to unite with the independent media organization Shakuf. The decision followed a vote among the public supporters who fund Shakuf through small donations. The union represented an effort to create a stronger foundation for independent, investigative and free journalism, bringing together The Seventh Eye’s experience in media criticism and Shakuf’s public-supported funding model.

Why this legacy belongs in Moreshet

The Seventh Eye merits inclusion in Moreshet because it has documented and interpreted a central part of Israeli public life: the way society tells its story through journalism. For decades, it has examined newsroom practice, the structure of the media market and the relationships among media, political power, advertising and wealth. In doing so, it has helped readers understand how public opinion is shaped and why press freedom matters in practice.

Its evolution from a printed journal into an active digital platform, together with its investigations, press reviews and “Truth in Advertising” project, represents a sustained contribution to public literacy, democratic culture and the historical record of Israeli journalism. Moreshet.com recognizes The Seventh Eye as an important institutional legacy not because it created Israel’s media landscape, but because it persistently asked who reports, how reporting is shaped, which voices are heard and what remains outside the frame. That continuing scrutiny is itself part of Israel’s journalistic and civic heritage.