Investigation Reveals: Billionaires Seek to Shape the American Narrative in Favor of Israel

An investigation published by an Israeli magazine revealed details of a large-scale media project led by billionaire Larry Ellison and his son David, aimed at reshaping the American narrative to be more supportive of Israel.

The investigation, conducted by Will Alden in '+972' magazine, begins with the story of the series 'Red Alert', which its producers described as a 'propaganda' work aimed at 'changing the narrative' about the events of October 7, 2023.

After a global reluctance to buy the series due to its political sensitivity and boycott campaigns against Israeli cultural institutions, the work found its way to being shown after David Ellison stated after watching it that 'it is an honor for me to be a partner in such a work'.

Alden explains that this position is not just an isolated incident, but rather an expression of a general trend adopted by the family to build what the report described as an 'information empire supportive of Israel'.

The report details the expansion of the Ellisons, starting with their acquisition of 'Paramount' and 'CBS', then buying the platform 'The Free Press' and appointing its president, Bari Weiss, known for her pro-Israel positions, as president of 'CBS News'.

According to the report, 'Paramount Sky Dance' took a unique position among major Hollywood studios by condemning the boycott campaign against Israeli cinema, and prepared reports on 'blacklists' of artists described as 'anti-Semitic'.

Despite David Ellison's insistence that his decisions are 'non-political', the report links his orientations to the broader vision of his father, who is considered one of the biggest supporters of Israel in Silicon Valley and a close friend of former US President Donald Trump.

Supporters of the film 'Red Alert' see it as an Israeli propaganda work that comes at a time when negative views of the Israeli government are increasing among Americans.

The Ellison family is also seeking to acquire assets from 'Warner Bros. Discovery' and participate in the American deal to buy TikTok, a deal described by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as 'the most important purchase currently underway', because it allows control over the content watched by 170 million American users, amid Israeli concerns that the platform will remain a space that displays 'the massacres of Gaza' to young people, as explained by Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace.

At a conference of Jewish Federations of North America, Sarah Hurwitz, a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, said that 'TikTok is destroying the minds of our youth all day long with videos of the massacre in Gaza'.

Hurwitz expressed her dissatisfaction that when young Jews try to convince them of her pro-Israel beliefs, 'they go back in their minds to the massacre they are watching, and I look like a predator'.

The report linked these moves to the pressure exerted by American Jewish institutions since 2023 against TikTok, where the director of the Anti-Defamation League said in a leaked recording 'We have a TikTok problem, a Gen Z problem, and we must move quickly'.

The investigation addresses the impact of the emerging media empire on newsrooms. After 'CBS' moved to Weiss's leadership, journalists who covered Gaza sharply were fired, including veteran correspondent Deborah Patta.

Internal sources say that 'the axe fell on those whose coverage seemed anti-Israel', while another correspondent who was in Rome remained, and openly expressed pro-Israel positions, and even requested to cover Gaza.

Despite analysts' warnings against exaggerating the new influence, especially with the presence of potential Gulf partners in the Warner deal, many believe that any further expansion of the Ellison family will give it unprecedented influence over the American media, similar to models for countries 'where there is no free press', in the words of journalist Taylor Lorenz.

In light of this transformation, pro-Israel voices celebrate this moment, even one pro-Israel activist commented after the screening of 'Red Alert' saying 'The Zionists have entered Hollywood tonight'.

The report concludes that the series of deals from Paramount to 'CBS' to TikTok paves the way for media dominance that may give Israel an exceptional opportunity to 'reshape the story' in front of the American public, just as the 'Red Alert' series ad promised, which said that 'tens of millions around the world will finally see our story', as the promoters of the Israeli narrative say.