Makor Rishon
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| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Owner(s) | Israel Hayom |
| Editor | Chaggai Segal |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Language | Hebrew |
| Country | Israel |
| Website | www |
Makor Rishon (First Source in English) is an Israeli newspaper affiliated with the conservative right-wing Israeli positions. The newspaper was founded as an unapologetically right-wing alternative other the Israeli media sources and to create high-quality platform debate to the conservatives in Israel. In first the paper was led by secular writers but over the years joined mostly religious journalists. Though it is not defined as religious newspaper. Makor Rishon is also close with the Settlers positions and is considered to have a qualitative impact on senior Likud and Jewish Home. Despite the ideological identification the newspaper maintains complete editorial independence.
Makor Rishon was founded as a weekly magazine in July 1997 in order to create an independent newspaper with a Jewish religious and nationalistic slant. The paper was the brainchild of its original owner, Rabbi Shmuel Tal. The Listenberg family, a National Religious family in the diamond business based in Belgium and Tel Aviv financed the founding of the newspaper. Journalist Meir Uziel was hired to recruit the staff. Uziel enlisted Michael Ruzulio to find writers. Ruzulio had served as a reporter for Yedioth Ahronoth as well as for the Second Authority for Television and Radio, and helped create the “Voice of the Red Sea” radio station. The newsroom was established in the “Pirsum Yisrael” offices located in Givat Shaul in Jerusalem, and was composed of both religious and secular journalists and editors.
The majority of the newspaper’s editors in its early years were secular and included Meir Uziel, Michael Ruzulio, Yehuda Levi and Ofer Shapira.
Earnings from the paper were low and its financial situation worsened. The paper closed down at the end of October 1999, after which the owners filed for bankruptcy.
Makor Rishon was reestablished after five weeks, in December 1999, under the auspices of a company named “The New Makor Rishon” – a move that enabled its purchaser, Dr. Michael Karash, to derive benefit from the newspaper’s name without having to be burdened by past debts. Karash worked to broaden the subscriber base and to make the paper financially viable. Over the course of 2003, the paper was purchased by businessman Shlomo Ben-Tzvi. After the buyout, changes were made that included a significant increase in the number of pages and journalists as well as a move to a broadsheet newspaper format.
Until mid-2007, Makor Rishon was published as a weekly. On April 25, 2007, the HaTzofe daily was incorporated into Makor Rishon, which started appearing with the logo “Makor Rishon-HaTzofe”. Shlomo Ben-Tzvi, who until then had been the newspaper’s CEO, was appointed the editor-in-chief. Makor Rishon was then published as a daily for the next two years.
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