Clila Magen

Communicating From Within the Shadows: The Israel Security Agency and the Media

Dr. Clila Magen, a Lecturer in the School of Communication and a Research Fellow at the Center for International Communication at Bar-Ilan University, was previously a spokesperson for the chair of the Committee on Defense and Foreign Affairs of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. A graduate of Bar-Ilan University in Political Studies and Communications, she received her M.A. in Communications and Journalism Studies from the Hebrew University, and her doctorate in Communications from Bar-Ilan University. She has also been a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Mass Communication, Advertising and Public Relations at Boston University. Dr. Magen’s book on the Israeli intelligence services and the media 1948–2008 is forthcoming from the University of Haifa Press.

Media Strategies and Manipulations of Intelligence Services: The Case of Israel

Existing research on the relationship between Israeli intelligence services and the media is limited and fragmented. This work attempts to fill in the gaps by shedding light on four main strategies that have been commonly implemented by the Israeli intelligence community: ambiguity and concealment of media relations, the “if you would only know” strategy, exploiting patriotism and cooptation, and information manipulations and psychological warfare. These strategies were utilized frequently by Israel’s intelligence services, and thus have had an impact on the intelligence services’ accountability. However, significant changes in Israel’s society and media have created new challenges to the intelligence services in the public sphere. This study examines these changes and differentiates between the organizations within the intelligence community, domestic and foreign, which, facing differing challenges, tailor different methods for addressing the media as a result. This paper is based on several years of research and a large database of literature, media coverage, and in-depth interviews with key figures in Israel’s intelligence community (former Mossad and Israeli Security Authority directors), senior journalists, and politicians.

Mossad directors and the media: a historical perspective

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between Mossad directors and the media on a historical timeline. It combines different methods such as qualitative research and comparative analysis of case studies from the history of the Mossad. This study is based on a database created from sources such as newspapers, books and in-depth interviews with former directors of the Mossad, Shin-Bet, senior journalists and politicians. It provides a glimpse into a fascinating dimension of Israel’s intelligence services which has been hidden from sight for many years and took place for the most part behind the scenes and far from the public eye. The study demonstrates the significant role the intelligence services’ directors play in shaping approaches to the media, mainly but not just in crisis situations.

Advertising and public relations in Israel: an integrated historiography approach

Abstract This article offers a comprehensive overview of the evolution of marketing in Israel. By merging the histories of two leading disciplines within the marketing mix, advertising and public relations, it offers a fresh direction in marketing historiography based on the story-telling method and the periodization approach. Studying the evolution of both professions in a synergistic manner leads to several interesting insights that are otherwise overlooked. The article demonstrates how an integrated approach provides a better understanding of the evolution of both fields and substantially enriches the history of the professions within the marketing arena.

Israel’s intelligence services and the media: four decades of a complex tango

ABSTRACT This article provides an overview of the relationship of two Israeli intelligence services and the media over four decades. It explores how Israel’s external and internal intelligence services have dealt with the public sphere in times of publicised crises, and analyses the main differences between the internal and external intelligence services when addressing the media.

Strategic Communication of Israel’s Intelligence Services: Countering New Challenges with Old Methods

ABSTRACT This study sheds light on the strategic communication of intelligence services in the new media age. Intelligence services operate in the dark, as far away as possible from the attention of the media and the public. However, in the new media age, intelligence services face a fresh set of unfamiliar challenges, including a dramatic change in the concept of time, the presence of alternative voices in the new media and a dramatic reduction in the ability to manage and control information. Using a case study approach, three traditional methods employed by Israeli intelligence services when addressing situations of exposure are examined: censorship, gag orders and the Editors’ Committee. The study addresses the organizations’ dilemmas, choices and difficulties in adjusting to the new media environment. On a broader theoretical level, the research demonstrates the importance of recognizing the differences among the diverse actors in the field of strategic communication as manifested within the well-established concepts of strategic communication, adaptation and adjustment. Since the field of strategic communication aims to include so many types of organizations and actors, it is crucial that nuances and differences among them are identified and analyzed within their specific context.