Israel Hayom (Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל הַיּוֹם, lit. 'Israel Today') is an Israeli national Hebrew-languagefree daily newspaper. Distributed for free around Israel,[6] it is the country's most widely distributed newspaper.[7][2] Owned by the family of the lateSheldon Adelson, a businessman and political donor, Israel Hayom has been noted for its editorial stance and coverage of Israeli politics, often sparking debate about its political alignment.
Israel Hayom's print edition, "financed by the American casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson,"[8] was launched on 30 July 2007, competing directly with Israeli, another free daily. That same year, Maariv editor Dan Margalit left the newspaper to write for Israel Hayom. A weekend edition was launched in October 2009. In 2014, Israel Hayom bought Israeli media outlets Makor Rishon and nrg מעריב.[5]
In May 2014 the name מעריב (Maariv) was removed from nrg log,[9] and it was rebranded as nrg. Following the acquisition, an antitrust complaint was filed against Israel Hayom, which resulted in a court order that requested the transfer of the maariv domain name to Maariv weekly.[10] In 2017, nrg was renamed to nrg360, and on 10 January 2018 the website closed; all of its content was merged into the Makor Rishon website.
Later that year, it is believed, was when Sheldon Adelson invested at least $50 million in Israel Hayom.[11] Critics of Adelson's involvement claimed that the distribution of free newspapers hurt free enterprise and targeted Israel's print newspaper industry, as Israel Hayom was then Israel's only free-of-charge national newspaper. The bill passed the first reading in the Knesset, but not subsequent ones.[12] In 2016, Adelson's attorney announced that although it was commonly believed that Adelson owned the newspaper, it was owned by a relative of his.[13]
In January 2021, Saudi-American independent academic researcher, Najat Al-Saied, became the first person from the Arab states of the Persian Gulf to join Israel Hayom.[14]
Israel Hayom has been described as having a center-right to right-wing political alignment since its establishment in 2007. From its inception, the paper has reflected conservative and national-liberal ideologies, focusing on national security and economic policy. Early analyses suggested that Israel Hayom frequently aligned with conservative values, advocating for a robust national defense and skepticism toward diplomatic concessions, especially during major political events, such as national elections.
By 2016, Israel Hayom extended its influence beyond Israel, endorsing the presidential campaign of Donald Trump, marking a notable alignment with conservative movements on a global scale. This endorsement reinforced the perception of the paper as a supporter of right-wing ideologies not only in Israel but also internationally.[15][16]
Being distributed for free, Israel Hayom has an advantage over other daily newspapers in Israel. In July 2010, Israel Hayom surpassed Yedioth Ahronoth in weekday exposure rate in the semi-annual Target Group Index (TGI) survey.[17]
As of January 1, 2024, a TGI survey indicated that Israel Hayom, distributed for free, is Israel's most read newspaper, with a 27.4% weekday readership exposure, followed by Yedioth Ahronoth, with 22.4%, Haaretz with 5.4%, Maariv with 3.5%, and Globes with 3.2%.[18]
As of July 31, 2023, a TGI survey had indicated that Israel Hayom, was Israel's most read newspaper, with a 29.4% weekday readership exposure, followed by Yedioth Ahronoth, with 22.3%, Haaretz with 4.8%, Globes with 4% and Maariv with 3.9%.[19]
In January 2016, citing internal records from Israel Hayom, Haaretz revealed that between 2007 and 2014, the newspaper lost about 730 million shekels ($190 million), approximately equal to a shekel per copy printed.[20]
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