Media Fellows Program

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• Media Fellows Program

Summer 2008 Educating top young leaders in how
to educate the press on Israel Iran
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Washington, DC
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TIP Media Fellows - WHAT

• 9-week summer internship in pro-Israel
  mass-education, including journalism, strategic
  communications, politics and education
• Washington, D.C.
• Focusing on Public Diplomacy - effective
  education through messaging and media relations

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TIP Media Fellows - WHO

• Top future leaders
• Upperclassmen, graduate students and young
  professionals
• Aspiring journalists, advocates, and those
  interested in politics and public diplomacy

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TIP Media Fellows - GOALS

• Teach fellows to leverage innovative pro-Israel
  communications techniques and improve how Israel
  is portrayed in the media
• Inspire young leaders to apply what they learned
  on their campuses and in a multitude of
  pro-Israel advocacy initiatives and global media
  outlets
• Enhance the fellows understanding of Israeli
  politics and society
• Contribute to TIPs work through their time in
  Washington, D.C.
• Develop a cadre of European pro-Israel
  professionals trained in techniques currently
  unavailable in Europe (European fellows only)

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Washington Fellows From the U.S., 5 European
Countries and Israel
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International Fluent in 7 languages
French
German
Italian
Flemish
Spanish
Hebrew
English
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TIP Media Fellows
D.C. fellows get ready to hand out educational
materials to journalists at the party conventions
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Training

• Fellowship included a variety of seminars on the
  following subjects
• Mass-education
• Messaging
• Advertising
• Journalism (print and broadcast)
• Public opinion polling
• Challenges facing Israel
• Iran
• Hamas

"I really learned a lot from the media training
consultants Learning how to 'bridge' from the
interviewers questions to your message made me
understand why some people sound great when
interviewed while others get bogged down by
reporters' questions." - Ronen Schnidman, McGill
University 08
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Learning from Top Experts
Stanley Greenberg, Greenberg Quinlan
Research (Top Democratic pollster)
Andrea Stone, USA TODAY
Neil Newhouse, Public Opinion Strategies (Top
Republican pollster)
Itamar Marcus, Palestinian Media Watch
Ilan Berman, American Foreign Policy Council
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Briefings from Israeli Foreign Ministry
Rafi Harpaz, Communications Director, Embassy of
Israel, Washington DC
Fellows with Shalom Lipner, Director of Public
Diplomacy at the Prime Minister's Office
"I was amazed by the quality and the number of
meeting we had throughout the summer. - David
Samama, Paris
Benny Gantz, Chief Military Attache, Embassy of
Israel, Washington DC
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Preparing Iran Backgrounders

• The Media Fellows published material about the
  threat of Iran, the persistence of rocket attacks
  in the south, terrorist groups, and Israeli
  politics. They gained writing, research, and
  editing skills from top TIP staff, journalists,
  and media consultants. 
• TIP Media Fellows compiled fact sheets for
  journalists in English, French, German and
  Spanish regarding
• Iranian nuclear aspirations and military
  capabilities
• President Ahmadinejads extremist religious
  views
• Iranian leaders in their own words
• Iranian support for international terrorism
• Irans sponsorship of terrorism in Syria and
  Lebanon
• Irans destabilization of the Middle East
• Irans sponsorship of Hezbollah, Hamas, etc.

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Learning from Pro-Israel Leaders
The DC Media Fellows with Andrew Tisch
Fellows met with Sandy Baklor and Charles
Bronfman
The DC Media Fellows with Newt Becker
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DNC and RNC The World Largest Media Concentration

• 15,000 journalists from all over the worldmore
  foreign journalists than in any other policy
  place were at each convention.
• Each convention offered significant opportunities
  to reach the highest echelon of political
  leaders, activists, Hollywood celebrities and
  media in an extremely cost effective way
• The conventions present an incredible opportunity
  to help shape the opinions of more than 280
  million Americans - as well as citizens from
  around the world.
• TIPs Media Fellows were therebeing interviewed,
  engaging in support of Israel, distributing
  informationlearning about democracy in action
  and participating in the process!

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Working inside the convention hall
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Getting to the Media
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Using Conversation Starter Pieces
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Conversation StartersGiven to more than 8,000
reporters!
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Conversation Starterscont
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Conversation Starterscont
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Meeting Leaders and Opinion Makers
Fellows with former German foreign minister and
Vice Chancellor Joschka Fisher
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Staffing Poll Briefings in Denver and St. Paul
Stanley Greenberg, Ph.D., Jennifer Laszlo
Mizrahi, and Frank Luntz, Ph.D. discuss American
support for measures to stop a nuclear Iran
TIP Released Major US, UK and German Poll Press
Coverage in National Journal, CQ, Denver papers
etc
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Talking with Media Personalities about Iran
Fellows with host Jon Stewart, Jonathan Mann of
CNN International and actor John Voight
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Media Fellows at Press Events
The TIP Media Fellows had opportunities to attend
press events and work with news outlets,
contributing materials for multiple foreign
leaders visits to Israel, preparing items for
presentations around the country, and reporting
on the developments of current news.   
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Press Briefing in New York City "A Close Look
at Iran's Foreign and Domestic Policies and
Iran's Nuclear Program"
Media Fellows at Press Events
I was thrilled to participate in the
organization of this informative and highly
successful press lunch. I learnt much and
witnessed first hand how TIP is at the forefront
of educating and preparing the next generation of
Israel advocates. - Hannah Fisher, London
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Products of the Fellows experience

• Backgrounders
• Iran
• Terrorist organizations
• East Jerusalem neighborhoods
• Southern Israel towns
• Israeli influential figures and politicians
• Graphics
• Maps of Jerusalem and Southern Israel
• Posters or rocket and mortar diagrams for the
  Sderot Police station
• Database lists of Israeli and international
  journalists

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Products for the multi-lingual media
ARABIC
RUSSIAN
FRENCH
GERMAN
SPANISH
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Publishing Op-eds
Iran devons-nous croire aux reunions de
Genève?, David Samama, Le Meilleur des Mondes,
Aougust, 2008
Recuperar la ventaja diplomatica sobre
Iran Gabriel Calabrese, El Reloj, Augusto
2008
Geneva the Next Munich?, Alex Barnes, The
Huffington Post, August 2008
Der Iran balstelt an der bombe Hannah Bloch,
E-politik.de, August 2008
The big Iranian Tease, Fabian Cohen, European
Jewish Press, August 2008
Iran Beyond the Rubicon of Trust, Hannah
Fisher, The Huffington Post, August 2008
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Fellows Published in
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Fellows in their own words
Being a media fellow allowed me to discovered
hidden skills that were waiting to be realized. I
wrote op-eds, and discovered that I can do it
really well I gave interviews, that thanks to
the training we had the first weeks proved to be
a success I had to speak with journalists and
politicians, and again I didn't know that I could
do it so well. To sum up, the internship at TIP
was an extraordinary opportunity that developed
known and unknown abilities on every fellow !
I was proud to work for Israels sake with such
a qualified team
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What Fellows Say
The Israel Project taught me how to message
information in a way that effectively reaches
journalists, and how important we are not only as
journalists, but as advocates in influencing the
news cycle in Israel.
Karen Marcus, Univ. of Southern California
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What Fellows Say

• Working at The Israel Project gave us access to
  Israelis who are leaders in their fields, an
  opportunity that I sincerely appreciated for the
  lessons we learned and information we gathered.
  It was amazing the credibility that the
  organization's name had when working with
  journalists and I truly believe that The Israel
  Project is doing great work."

Michelle Kuppersmith, Brown University
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What Fellows Say

• "It's incredible to think that a backgrounder I
  wrote may end up on many journalists' desks and
  possibly in their articles.  TIP was an exciting
  place to work because it is so influential and
  well-connected that I know the work we did here
  will make a difference."

Olivia Mathias, Yeshiva University
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What Fellows Say
After these nine weeks I feel that I am better
prepared to portray Israel's image and
effectively conveying the message of peace that
Israel stands behind. My experience this summer
as a Media Fellow has sharpened my writing skills
and aided my development in becoming a more
refined participant in the fight against
anti-Israel bias in the media.
Emma Grunberg University of Washington Graduate,
Yale Law Student
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What Fellows Say
"I'm proud to be a Fellow here, as it has shown
me what can happen when people who want to make
a difference get together.  And look at the
numbers of Americans support for Israel.  TIP is
responsible for making that difference.  It's
such a proud feeling, knowing you're a part of
something so worthwhile." 
Alexi Vahlkamp, University of Illinois
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What Fellows Say
Interning at The Israel Project has been a great
opportunity. As young advocates willing to
improve Israels image within the European media,
the tools and the learning taught here will
definitely strengthen the efficiency of our
action back home.
Fabian Cohen, University of Brussels
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What Fellows Say
My love of Israel is as strong as ever. I
thought that our work was enormously successful.
The most important thing at the conventions was
the simple act of flyering and being present so
people could associate a friendly face with
Israel.
Adam Grunenwald, IDC Herzelya
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What Fellows Say
My experience at The Israel Project was very
useful. I know that my experience here and the
knowledge I acquired will help me in future work
as a journalist in Germany . Thank you!
Johannes Boie, Free University of Berlin
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What Fellows Say
I was already interested and involved in Israel
advocacy prior to my time at TIP. I was able to
develop further skills and knowledge which will
allow me to increase my involvement in Israel
advocacy in the future. Thank you so much!
Hannah Fisher, London School Of Economics
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What Fellows Say
TIP gave me the opportunity to discover a whole
new world where the media, public relations and
politics meet each other. Being at the core of
one of the most renowned Jewish organizations in
the States was an amazing experience that I will
never forget.
Gabriel Calabrese Hebrew University of Jerusalem
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What Fellows Say
Working at the Israel Project gave me a new
perspective on the intricacy of Hasbara. I gained
the tools necessary to successfully convey a
message to the media and to the general public. I
am confident that I will be able to use these
skills in my future career and throughout my
life.
Irit Rubenov, University of Freibourg
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What Fellows Say
First, I was amazed by the professionalism here
at the TIP. In France, advocacy is done by
those who feel concerned but most of the time, it
ends in a bas way and Israels image can suffer
from this lack of professionalism. Using polls,
take care of media coverage, constantly thank
those who support us is something I will
definitely apply in my future as an Israeli
advocate.
David Samama, La Sorbonne
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What Fellows Say
The Israel Project fellowship has provided great
experience in how the media can effectively be
employed to improve Israel's image. It is one
thing to relate the truth what is innovative in
TIP's approach is the sharp awareness of public
opinion. TIP concentrates on relating the truth
in the ways that will generate the most
significant positive impact.
Tal Polon University of California, Berkeley
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Board of Directors
Arlene Bearman, Ph.D., Chair Michael C. Gelman,
Chair-Emeritus Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, Founder
President Sheryl J. Schwartz, Co-founder Vice
President Margo Volftsun, Co-Founder
Secretary Lennert J. Leader, Treasurer Sheldon
Bearman, M.D. Newton Becker Shmuel Ben-Dror Nancy
Epstein Andrew J. Groveman Seth A. Klarman Joseph
Korff Michelle H. Leader Richard Levitt Karen
Pack Harry Ploss Abe Pollin Ronald R. Sklare
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What is being said about TIPs work
Thank you for your tremendous work and effort
that you and the rest of The Israel Project
continue to do in support of the State of Israel.
Your work helps strengthen Israel and the Jewish
people around the world. The Israel Project is
making a tremendous impact on the United
StatesIsrael relationship. His Excellency
Sallai Meridor, Ambassador of Israel to the
United States The Israel Project has given
Israel new tools in the battle to win the hearts
and minds of the world. They are doing valuable
work not being done anywhere else- and their team
is experienced and trusted. Israeli President
Shimon Peres Given the challenges to Israel and
Jews around the world, The Israel project plays a
vital role. They produce valuable communications
tools and insight that make both Jews and Israel
safer. Natan Sharansky, Former Deputy Prime
Minister of Israel, Author
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