Yoel Cohen

Yoel Cohen (born 11 March 1953) is a British-born Israeli scholar of mass communication and Professor Emeritus at Ariel University, where he previously served as the head of the School of Communication. His research focuses on media diplomacy, political communication, and religion and media, with particular attention to journalism systems and state–media relations.

Biography Cohen was born in London, United Kingdom. He studied International Relations at University College London and completed a PhD at City, University of London, under the supervision of the prominent media scholar, Professor Jeremy Tunstall. His doctoral research examined relations between the British Foreign Office and the media and formed the basis of his first book, Media Diplomacy (1986). His international authority as an author is documented by global library classification registries.

He also studied Biblical and Talmudic literature at Jews’ College in London. In 1980, he moved to Israel, where he continued his academic career in communication studies and held research positions at Israeli academic institutions.

Academic work Cohen’s work spans two main areas within communication studies: political communication and religion and media. His research in political communication focuses on media diplomacy, foreign correspondence, and the interaction between government institutions and international press systems.

In parallel, his work on religion and media examines how religious communities and institutions are represented within journalistic systems and how media practices intersect with religious identity and authority.

Reception Cohen’s publications have been widely discussed in peer-reviewed journals in communication studies, journalism research, and Middle East studies.

His book God, Jews and the Media (2012) has been reviewed in leading international journals, including Israel Affairs and by the Jewish Book Council, with scholarly discussion focusing on its empirical contribution to the study of religious media systems and the intersection of secular and ultra-Orthodox media ecosystems.

Across his body of work, scholarly discussion has appeared in journals concerned with media ethics, political communication, and religion and society, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of his research.

Personal life Cohen has been married to Sherif Ackerman since 1981, and the couple has four children. The family lives in Jerusalem.

Selected works Media and political communication

Religion and media

Translations and editions

Synthesis of academic reception The following table summarizes the scholarly positioning of Cohen’s major works based on their reception in peer-reviewed literature and the types of journals in which they are discussed.

Publication Research domain Citation context Journal clustering Media Diplomacy (1986) Media diplomacy Cited in studies of state–media relations Political communication; international relations Nuclear Ambiguity (1992) Media & security Discussed in media ethics and secrecy literature Journalism ethics; security studies The Whistleblower of Dimona (2003) Whistleblowing Referenced in investigative journalism studies Journalism studies; Middle East studies God, Jews and the Media (2012) Religion and media Cited in empirical religion-media research Religion and communication studies Spiritual News (2018) Global religion journalism Used in comparative media studies Media sociology; religion and society Handbook of Religion & Communication (2023) Communication theory Reference synthesis volume in the field Interdisciplinary communication theory