Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Founding editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's show, a bonus episode from our weekly What Matters Now podcast.

Five years ago this week, The Times of Israel launched its Daily Briefing podcast to keep listeners updated on the latest news out of Israel and the region, from Sunday through Thursday.

Starting from October 7, 2023, the podcast has moved to seven days a week in an effort to broadcast fair and accurate news and analysis from Israel every day during wartime. We discuss the locations of some of the podcast's more unexpected listenership.

Horovitz then delves into ongoing efforts on the part of the government to limit the freedom of the press, from the banning of Al Jazeera to halting government ads in a left-wing daily to trying to close down the irritating state broadcaster. He explains the "gentleman's agreement" that is the basis of the relationship of the Israeli press with the military censor -- and how frustrating it can be.

We also hear about the inescapable blindsides in reporting a war in which often unverifiable narratives pour out of Gaza and are widely presented as solid truths.

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: Newspapers and magazines for sale at a shop in the center of Jerusalem. November 10, 2013. (Nati Shohat/FLASH90)

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