Ayala Hasson | |
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Born | Israel | September 28, 1961
Education | Tel-Aviv University |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1993–present |
Spouse | Shai Nesher |
Children | 2 |
Ayala Hasson (Hebrew: אילה חסון; born September 1961) is an Israeli journalist.[1] She is a television and radio presenter at the Israel Broadcasting Corporation. She spent most of her journalistic career at the Israel Broadcasting Authority, where she served as a reporter and commentator, presented HaKol Diburim ("All Talk") on Kol Israel and the Yoman ("Journal") edition on Channel 1, and was the first woman to become head of the channel's news division, which she occupied until her departure at the end of 2015.[2][3] For several years she was a senior commentator on News 13, where she presented the editions of Shishi ("Friday") and HaMate HaMerkazi ("The Central Headquarters"), until she joined the corporation in 2023, where she broadcasts the daily program Sheva with Ayala Hasson ("Seven") on Kan 11 and Ha Boker Haze ("This Morning") on Thursdays on Kan 2.
Known for her investigative journalism, Hasson is responsible for exposing some of the most influential stories in Israeli politics,[4][5] including the scandalous Bar-On–Hebron affair; the Shlomo Benizri bribery affair which led to his conviction; several scoops in the Harpaz affair; the indecent act of the head of the Israel Bar Association Avi Himi; hush money paid by Israel's National Library Chairman to his assistant after sexually harassing her; PM Bennett's household expenses, among others. Her notable interviews include one with Vladimir Putin.[6]
Hasson has won several awards, including from the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, and was the highest-ranked journalist on Forbes Israel's list of "Most Powerful Women in Israel" in 2022.[7]
Hasson was born in Jerusalem and was raised in Talpiot neighborhood. She is a graduate of Tel Aviv University, where she finished her studies in the Koteret school of journalism. She is married to talent manager Shai Nesher. The couple have a daughter, and she has another son from a previous marriage.[4]
Her career started in 1993 in Maariv and later in the year was hired by the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA), where her first position was as a correspondent of criminal affairs for Channel 1.[5] Her following positions on the channel were political reporter and later state commentator.[5] Among the shows she hosted was the Thursday radio program HaKol Diburim ("All Talk") on Kol Israel and the popular Friday TV magazine Yoman ("Journal"), which was the most-watched show on the channel.[5]
In 2014, she was the first woman to become head of the channel's news division, which she occupied until her departure at the end of 2015.[3] She left the IBS in 2015 and moved to Channel 10 (later Channel 13), and later explained that her departure was the result of harassment she faced when she found out about corruption affairs in the IBA and sought to expose them.[2] Until 2023, she was a senior commentator on News 13, where she presented the Friday and Saturday editions of Shishi ("Friday") and HaMate HaMerkazi ("The Central Headquarters"), respectively.[1] She returned to public broadcasting when she joined the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC) in 2023, where she broadcasts the daily program Sheva with Ayala Hasson ("Seven") on Kan 11 and Ha Boker Haze ("This Morning") on Thursdays on Kan 2.
Known for her investigative journalism, Hasson is responsible for exposing some of the most influential stories in Israeli politics:[4][5] including the following: