According to data obtained by the New York Times, in some countries, just a few hundred voters would have been enough to secure a popular vote victory in the Eurovision song contest. FRANCE 24’s Sharon Gaffney speaks with Mara Hvistendahl, investigative reporter at the New York Times, about how Israel has been using the contest as a soft power tool, with attempts to influence Eurovision beginning years earlier than previously thought.
So Israel’s been working the Eurovision back channels since way before 2019? Doesn’t surprise me—every country with a strong PR machine does this.
A few hundred votes swinging the popular vote in some countries? That’s not a conspiracy, that’s just how small voting blocs work.
Mara Hvistendahl’s NYT report really shows how Israel treats Eurovision like a strategic asset, not just a song contest.
I’d like to see the actual data—how many votes were actually influenced? The article says ‘attempts to influence,’ not that they succeeded.
Every country uses Eurovision for soft power; Israel just got caught red-handed because of the NYT investigation.
If only a few hundred voters can tip the popular vote, then the whole point of the contest is already a joke, with or without Israel.