State of Tel Aviv, Israel Podcast S3 E30. Piers Morgan, Israel and Jews: Do We Have a Problem?
In this special three-part series, we explore the increasingly contentious place of media superstar Piers Morgan and his YouTube show, Uncensored. Morgan has always inclined to the sensational, but in recent months he has perhaps gone too far – in terms of platforming some of the most hateful, uninformed antisemites and anti-Zionist voices in the world. Repeatedly. As he reminds us often, millions watch his show and engage on social media. So, he reasons, he must be doing something right. Well, perhaps not. Clicks and views may validate his mass appeal. But they also raise the question: To whom does he appeal? Why is he platforming and amplifying such hateful, uninformed people on the anti-Israel “side”, and putting them on the same show with some of the brightest, most articulate minds who support Israel? The result – particularly in the last month or so – has been many things but certainly not enlightening discussion or debate.
To explore this issue I decided to speak with some past, ongoing and – never gonna happen – guests of Piers Morgan Uncensored. What began as one episode became a three part series. Because each of the five people with whom I spoke had such thoughtful and strong insights. And I belielve that the conduct of media- MSM and independents – is hugely important. When a media giant with global influence like Piers Morgan repeatedly platforms extreme haters – he legitimizes and amplifies their voice and reach- exponentially. Does he have a responsibility to society? Or is it just about the numbers?
I discuss this and more with my five superb guests. In Part I we feature Lt. Col. (Res.) and Senior FDD Fellow, Jonathan Conricus, as well as Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Amichai Chikli. Both appeared last week on Uncensored. And they have a lot to say.
Part II of this series will be out on Sunday and features British-Israeli comedian, actor, writer and – in my view – serious social commentator – Lee Kern. When Uncensored seemed to veer off in a very concerning direction in recent weeks, Lee Kern posted a searing indictment of Piers Morgan and Uncensored on X. His commentary certainly got my attention and I assure you - his interview does not disappoint. It’ll be out on Sunday.
Part III of the series features two exceptional and very different voices. Emily Schrader, journalist, and activist – and frequent guest on Uncensored – gets into how the show has changed recently. She is savvy and has a keen understanding of all media. Emily explains the value in appearing on his show, but also gets into some troubling aspects of how it has been going lately. Emily is a massive influencer on social media – and she has some strong views on that world as well. Also in this episode is Ridvan Aydemir, aka the ApostateProphet on YouTube to his more than 500,000 followers. Raised in a strict Muslim home while navigating the very liberal society of modern Germany, Ridvan no longer identifies as a Muslim and he is a fierce critic of Islamist antisemitism and anti-Zionism. He also falls into the category of one who will never appear on Morgan’s show – and shares with us why.
All three segments in this series are super interesting and I expect you will learn a lot about the “behind the scenes” workings of today’s media and why we should all – consumers and creators of content – pay careful attention to what is going down. Independent media is the wild west today. Query whether it should remain that way.
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Podcast Notes:
* I encourage all listeners/viewers to peruse the X accounts of the participants in this series. It is an eye-popping rabbit-hole (weird metaphor but kinda’ works), no matter where you start. All roads, as they say, lead to Rome – in this case that would be Piers Morgan and Uncensored.Instagram:
Conricus: @jconricus
Chikli: @amichaichikli
Lee Kern: @leekern13
Apostate Prophet: @realapostateprophet
Emily: @emilykschrader
X (Twitter):
* I am posting here the full links to the most recent Uncensored episode in which Jonathan Conricus appeared, as well as the episode featuring Minister Amichai Chikli. Both ran last week. If you go to Piers Morgan’s personal X account you will find numerous clips that he considered post-worthy from these episodes. You watch. You decide.
* Below is the full text of the post of Minister Chikli’s on June 4 that seemed to have triggered Piers Morgan and led to Chikli being invited to appear on Uncensored.
* Guest Bios
Jonathan Conricus is a senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington D.C.-based think tank. He served in the IDF for 24 years, four of them as spokesman during the intense 11 days of the Guardian of the Walls Operation between Israel and Hamas. Now a reserve officer with the rank of Lt. Col., he is a sought-after speaker internationally and is frequently seen on major television news shows. Jonathan was born in Jerusalem to a Swedish father and an Israeli mother and spent his formative years in Sweden.
Amichai Chikli is an Israeli politician who serves as the Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism & the BDS movement.In the past he worked as an educator and social entrepreneur.
Chikli was born in 1981 in Jerusalem. He served as an officer in the elite units in the Golani brigade.
Following his IDF service, Chikli earned a bachelor's degree in security and Middle Eastern studies from Haifa University and a master's degree in security studies and diplomacy from Tel Aviv University.
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