You Can Join Diplomacy 2.0

When you think of “public diplomacy,” a computer might not be the first thing that comes to mind. Maybe, though it should be–or at least high up on the list. Here’s an article from Consul for Media and Public Afffairs David Saranga (originally posted on OneJerusalem) that shows just why–and how–diplomacy can move away from suits and ties and should move into your living room.

The Use of New Media in Public Diplomacy

By David Saranga

“I really don’t know whether we’ll be printing the Times in five years, and you know what? I don’t care, either. The Internet is a wonderful place to be, and we’re leading there.” This comment from Arthur Sulzberger, owner, chairman, and publisher of The New York Times, is a profound reflection on the state of affairs in the media world. The shift to online media, and in particular, social media such as Facebook and Twitter, represents the growing trend of people turning to online sources for news and world events. This presents a unique opportunity for Israel’s public diplomacy to penetrate global public opinion.

For years, those of us who work in public diplomacy alongside our supporters around the world have complained about the negative coverage of Israel in the media. That industry, we said, looks at everything that happens in Israel through the lens of conflict while ignoring anything positive or “normal” about the country. And the stories about politics were frequently slanted against Israel, not to mention fabricated or misleading

More recently, the social networks that have now penetrated large segments of our society have become tools that allow us to spread Israel’s message directly–unmediated by the press. Furthermore, our messages can be spread not only by the Government of Israel but also by our supporters around the world for whom it is important–and rightfully so–to give the Israeli narrative worldwide attention.

Over the past several years, Israeli government officials have achieved success by becoming the first governmental body in the world to use new media tools to create public discourse while passing along Israel’s narrative.

Take the example of isRealli.org, Israel’s official blog and the first-ever blog by a country, which was produced by the Israeli Consulate in New York nearly three years ago. The site was launched with the stated purpose of showcasing Israel “beyond the headlines.” Our goal was to present daily life in Israel that many people are not often exposed to–if ever–such as lifestyle, fashion, culture, high-tech, among many others.

Then in May 2007, when Palestinian terror organizations increased their rocket attacks on Sderot and the international media remained silent, we decided to launch a new blog, IsraelPolitik.org, to discuss these important political issues. This site brings events in our area to worldwide attention, and adds Israel’s viewpoint to political discussions from which it has often been missing.

As new media have become increasingly important in American society, our activities online have also been growing. The New York Consulate has set up pages on MySpace, became the first government on the Facebook social network, released a Facebook application, “Holy Land Trivia,” and established a YouTube channel. We have used this channel to distribute videos we produce in-house, some of which have garnered tens of thousands of viewers–for example a video of American children reading kidnapped Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit’s story, “When the Shark and the Fish First Met.”

The most recent project to date–the crown jewel of our new media projects–was a “Citizens’ Press Conference” arranged on Twitter during the recent Gaza operations. Our initiative to use the Twitter microblogging service as a platform for a question-and-answer session with the general public was reported widely by media outlets around the world, primarily for its innovative qualities. Our event marked the first governmental press conference using Twitter. What led to this initiative was a realization on the second day of the Gaza operation that the information being distributed to the public anonymously was distorted and unreliable. We wanted to publicize Israel’s official position, while allowing those who followed us to interact with the faces behind that information.

Conventional media outlets around the world, such as The New York Times, Le Figaro, The Guardian in London, and the Washington Post, among others, discussed the topic in news and opinion pieces, thereby helping us spread Israel’s messages. We benefited not only from the news coverage, but also from links to our blogs and Twitter account, which steered thousands of people to our content. The platform we have been given on Twitter allows us to maintain our unmediated connection with the worldwide public in a dialogue that continues today, and has expanded to coverage of topics that interest the average person.

The government, for all its innovation, cannot fight effectively by itself on all fronts. The more people who help spread our message, the better off we will be in world opinion. The Muslim world, which boasts hundreds of millions of people, has adopted the Palestinian narrative in order to attack Israel. By contrast, the Jewish world–in Israel and around the world–numbers only 13 million people approximately. Anyone who identifies with Israel can be part of the effort to share Israel’s message with the world. The idea that the “world is against us” is simply not true. In many parts of the globe, public opinion is not hard-and-fast regarding Israel. People are willing to hear the different sides and arrive at conclusions based on their own reasoning–free of any preconceived notions or stances. Activities by pro-Israel groups on social networks, blogs, and news sites are therefore extremely important.

In meetings we have held with colleagues from other Western countries, a similar picture has emerged, whereby the “official government message” is perceived as propaganda, and thus unreliable. It seemed people would trust news from an average person before they would an official government source. As absurd as this logic sounds, it is a reality we need to accept. However, it is important to remember that the messages coming from official spokespeople are still vital and this is not a call for Israeli spokespeople to fold away their suits and ties.

With that said, it is important to diversify the tools we have at our disposal in order to get Israel’s message across effectively; a project for which we need every one of our supporters around the world.

The time has come for our friends across the globe who support Israel to stop complaining as though Israeli public diplomacy is the weather, and quit whining about how the world doesn’t like us. Israel can only benefit if her internet-savvy supporters join the branding efforts by uploading content to blogs, participating in discussions on social networks, and distributing films from Israel on YouTube. Right now, the tools for change are literally at our fingertips.

All we have to do is move them.

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