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Agenda, Israel’s only Center for Strategic Communications, is a unique not-for-profit center working to reprioritize and reframe social change issues within the Israeli public debate and media.
Agenda’s work is three-pronged:
1. Long-term and strategic shift in the media’s approach to key social change issues
2. Providing strategic tools and consultation services to social change organizations in order to improve their work with the media.
3. Targeted Monitoring, Information Collection and Dissemination
Agenda was established with the support of the Ford foundation and jointly founded by the Shatil organization and Ben-Or Communications Ltd.
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The vision:
Israel today is in the midst of a social, economic and political crisis that provides fertile soil for interested parties to impose a one-dimensional discourse fed by anxiety and alienation. Agenda views with utmost importance the establishment of a new public discourse where other voices are heard and a central place is given to subjects such as equality, minority rights, social, economic and environmental justice, health and human rights.
We believe that promoting these issues and values in the medias discourse, so that they become an inseparable part of the Israeli lexicon, while developing media strategies within the organizations for social change, will significantly contribute to the advancement of struggles for social change.
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Agenda's goals:
The media has become one of the most powerful tools in shaping the public agenda, in shaping public opinion and in influencing the decision-making process. The professional skills of working with the press, such as the ability to get a story in, to present and clarify a position and to steadily and continuously influence the way in which reality is portrayed in the various media, must not be the exclusive privilege of politicians, the moneyed and official senior spokespeople.
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Agenda's goal is to shape public opinion and lead to social and conceptual change through the media, through full cooperation with the organizations for social change.
Agenda's goal is to impact the public agenda and the policy-making processes by promoting social change issues in the media arena in planned and pro-active ways. For this purpose, Agenda uses media professionals and proven communications strategies. The center works in full cooperation with organizations for social change and acts to increase their presence as information providers and opinion makers in creating the media discourse.
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To advance a public platform for social change through the Israeli media
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1. The media is a powerful tool that shapes public opinion, sets the public agenda and influences decision-makers’ stances on key issues. This is especially true for Israel; when 63% of adults (40% in US) read at least one newspaper and 68% of them (41% US) listen to the radio regularly. 40% of Israeli adults (compared to 16%in US) visit internet news sites on a regular basis. The media is a mirror and a lens through which we can both learn from and influence the socio-economic and political processes that shape our lives.
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2. Israel’s media is preoccupied with frequent political turmoil, terror and diplomatic crises that overshadow civic issues. Socio-economic justice, civil rights, fair and equal representations of minority groups, cultural and religious pluralism issues are often marginalized and overlooked. As a result, Israel’s democracy and multicultural society are weakened.
3. Israel has a growing number of organizations that promote an array of social change initiatives essential to its democratic and civic society. These organizations are in need of basic training and ongoing consultation on how to strategically utilize the media in their efforts to counter forces that have immense resources and media expertise at hand.
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Shifting Israeli Media Approach to Poverty: from "parasites" to "working poor"
Agenda raised its stance on poverty to the forefront of the public agenda; included new voices once marginalized and challenged the hegemonic approach among the Israeli public and decision-makers on social cuts and their effect on the “working poor".
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Elevating Social Change Organizations and Issues in the Media
100 of Israel’s social change non-profit organizations, leading to a more professional media and PR work, increased number of trained and efficient spokespersons for social change programs and increasing the visibility of their campaigns over 100%.
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In-depth Work with Key Media Personnel
reciprocal relations with key personnel in Israel’s diverse media outlets, including senior editors and leading journalists.
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Involving the Academia in the Communications Platform for Social Change
Agenda held numerous trainings and seminars at the different universities and initiated joint ventures with the leading universities in Israel concerning the media and its relation to social change programs.
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