"You inaccurately describe the Israeli raid on the occupied city of Nablus as one of the bloodiest 'battles' this year. Using the term 'battle' obscures the power dynamics at play, creating the appearance of a fight in which both sides are equal. In fact, Israeli military forces have been repeatedly invading and attacking Palestinian cities and villages and indiscriminately killing Palestinian civilians and increasing the death toll to at least 62 Palestinians, including 13 children, since the start of this year. I insist that you issue an on-air correction for referring to this incident as a 'battle,' and clarify that the incident in which Palestinians were killed was a 'confrontation' between mostly unarmed Palestinians and Israeli military forces."
February 23, 2023
To:
Jennifer Hsiung, Anchor / Reporter, CP24 Breakfast
Ryan Smith, Producer, CP24 Breakfast
Dear Ms. Hsiung and Mr. Smith,
I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to express our concerns regarding a video segment titled “At least 9 killed, 100 wounded in Israeli raid in the West Bank,” which was aired by CP24 on February 22, 2023.
This is the second letter I have written in the last ten days to Ms. Hsiung and Mr. Smith of CP24 to address the deeply misleading language used in your news segments which obfuscate key issues core to understanding events in Israel and Palestine.
First, you report that the recent deadly events took place in the “West Bank.” However, according to international law, you fail to mention that the West Bank has been militarily occupied by Israel since 1967. Referring to it only as the “West Bank” omits critical context that professional journalists are required to provide.
I insist that you issue an on-air correction for omitting that the West Bank is Palestinian territory occupied militarily by Israel.
Second, you inaccurately describe the Israeli raid on the occupied city of Nablus as one of the bloodiest “battles” this year. Using the term “battle” obscures the power dynamics at play, creating the appearance of a fight in which both sides are equal. In fact, Israeli military forces have been repeatedly invading and attacking Palestinian cities and villages and indiscriminately killing Palestinian civilians and increasing the death toll to at least 62 Palestinians, including 13 children, since the start of this year.[1]
I insist that you issue an on-air correction for referring to this incident as a “battle,” and clarify that the incident in which Palestinians were killed was a “confrontation” between mostly unarmed Palestinians and Israeli military forces.
Thank you for making these changes. Should you wish, you can contact me at 438-380-5410 for more information.
Sincerely,
Reem Majid
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
[1] Al Jazeera, “’Catastrophic’: Palestinians recount fatal Israeli raid on Nablus” (2023), https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/23/catastrophic-palestinians-recount-deadly-israeli-raid-on-nablu