Times of Israel Rewrites (Its Own) History on Lenny Kravitz Cancellation
In 2012, Times of Israel was one of several media outlets to report that it was an extended filming schedule which led to Lenny Kravitz’s planned concert that October in Tel Aviv, as well as some other nine concerts in European cities. So why does the Israeli media outlet now falsely report that Lenny Kravitz had “bowed to boycott pressure”?
This was the Times of Israel headline in 2012:
The accompanying article reported:
Dispelling rumors that singer Lenny Kravitz may have canceled his planned October 6 Tel Aviv show due to political reasons or poor ticket sales, producer Gad Oron told The Times of Israel that a total of 10 September and October shows — in Russia, the Ukraine, Finland, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Turkey — were canceled because of Kravitz’s extended filming schedule.
Contradicting its reporting from the time of the cancellation, The Times of Israel this month erred in an article about the Rolling Stones performance:
In addition to the 2012 Times of Israel article which noted that Kravitz’s Tel Aviv cancellation was one of many, and was unrelated to any boycott effort, The Jerusalem Post had likewise reported:
Rocker Lenny Kravitz quashed speculation that the cancelationof his Tel Aviv concert, slated for October 6, was politically motivated, and promised to come to the Holy Land in 2013.
“I have been looking forward to performing in Israel for some time. The idea of ending my world tour there was also extremely meaningful to me. As a result I am personally disappointed and very sorry that my concert in Tel Aviv had to be postponed,” Kravitz wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday. “I promise that I will be in Israel next year. Looking forward to seeing you all in 2013.”
In the post, the rocker said he had to cancel the concert because the historical film The Butler, which he is currently filming in New Orleans, extended its shooting schedule. Kravitz said he was contractually bound to complete the film.
Kravitz also cancelled European tour dates including in Kiev, Bucharest, Zagreb and Istanbul, according to Channel 2.
And, as CAMERA reported in 2013:
Ynet also reported that Kravitz canceled his European performances, in addition to his Tel Aviv show, due to a scheduling problem. Google translate of a Turkish site confirms that he canceled his Oct. 4, 2012 Istanbul show. Likewise, Concierge Group confirms that Kravitz postponed the Kiev show, and the Diplomat (Bucharest) reports on the star’s postponement of his performance in that city.
CAMERA has notified Times of Israel of the error. Stay tuned for news of a correction.
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