After an inquiry and suspension lasting several days, it was reported Feb. 17 that journalist Erel Segal will be returning to his show "Kalman and Segal" on the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation Kan. The public channel announced, “Segal was notified that as a journalist working for public broadcasting, he is expected to maintain the journalistic code of ethics and standards.”

Segal’s suspension came as a result of his appearance in a propaganda video for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, alongside two other right-wing journalists, Yinon Magal and Shimon Riklin. Neither of those two men make any effort to hide their blind admiration for the prime minister. This particular video, which appeared on Netanyahu’s Twitter account Feb. 13, shows the three journalists singing Avihu Medina’s famous song “Praise Jerusalem,” together with Netanyahu. On social media, the video came to be known by the moniker, “Bibi [Netanyahu] and the Shofars [mouthpieces].”

There is not enough space here for a detailed account of how Segal, Yinon and Riklin became the modern-day equivalent of medieval town criers for Netanyahu’s public messages. As part of their alleged work as journalists, these three men serve as spokesmen of a sort, not only justifying but praising just about everything Netanyahu does, without the slightest hint of criticism. They had no criticism of the prime minister, when he dragged Israel into three successive election campaigns, or when he was indicted in district court. They believe that any criticism of Netanyahu is nothing more than the result of provocation by the media and the left, with the intent of removing the prime minister from power.

As usual, Netanyahu depicted the suspension of his minion Segal as another battle in the war between light and darkness. In Netanyahu’s mind, Segal was a casualty of the left, which is trying incessantly to defeat him. “At Kan they never show any sympathy, on the left they don’t have that. Nevertheless, he [Segal] was suspended. What a joke! It’s disgraceful!” said Netanyahu at an election rally. It is well known that Netanyahu is obsessed with the media. It was responsible for Case 2000 (allegedly plotting with Yedioth Ahronoth publisher for positive coverage) and Case 4000 (on Netanyahu’s ties with communication tycoon Shaul Elovitch), which led to his indictment for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Over the years, and especially since the 2015 election, he has been striving to install a more submissive, sycophantic Israeli press, which praises everything he does. He wants a press similar to the newspaper Yisrael Hayom (Israel Today), which was created for him by billionaire Sheldon Adelson. Often, that newspaper’s headlines toed in line with Netanyahu’s official talking points.