Media Lens@medialens
Eurovision was always crass, but Israel and its army of astroturfers have now trashed it completely:
'But it wasn’t enough just to be on the Eurovision stage. Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has been determined to win, for reasons of soft power. According to a New York Times investigation published this week, the Israeli government has partially funded an ostentatious get-out-the-vote campaign for the past three years, costing at least $1m, which appeared to be urging people to vote for Israel to show their political support.
'That campaign included giant billboards in Times Square and direct messages to supporters. Though the US is not in the contest, Americans can still vote because the EBU has opened voting to the whole world. Netanyahu himself posted on Instagram, telling supporters in 2025 to vote 20 times for Israel – the maximum amount allowed per person.
'Israel came first in the 2025 public vote across Europe. The public vote makes up half of an entry’s points alongside the votes of professional juries. Last year’s reveal of the winner, usually a moment of high drama and suspense, was a harrowing watch. Possibly thanks to its government’s campaign, Israel was suddenly propelled to the top of the leaderboard. If the professional juries hadn’t given low rankings to what was arguably a passable song, this weekend’s contest would be taking place in Tel Aviv. That would have likely spelled the end of the contest as we know it.
'Despite all of this, only minor changes have been made to the voting rules this year. People from anywhere in the world are still able to vote multiple times, whether or not they’re actually watching the contest.'
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…