"There is a huge issue with the asymmetrical nature of the video used in the segment, which exclusively used video sourced from the Israeli army, which was specifically released for Israeli public relations purposes. It is a serious ethical issue if the party which is accused of a violent attack is also allowed to provide the sole visual representation of that event. It is your responsibility as professional journalists to provide a balanced report."
March 8, 2023
To:
Jennifer Hsiung, Anchor / Reporter, CP24
Ryan Smith, Producer, CP24
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 my surprise and revulsion at CP24’s news segment aired earlier today about Israeli police releasing footage of a raid in the occupied West Bank (titled “Israeli police release footage of raid in the occupied West Bank” in the marquee text associated with the segment.)
There is a huge issue with the asymmetrical nature of the video used in the segment, which exclusively used video sourced from the Israeli army, which was specifically released for Israeli public relations purposes. It is a serious ethical issue if the party which is accused of a violent attack is also allowed to provide the sole visual representation of that event. It is your responsibility as professional journalists to provide a balanced report.
Ultimately, segments from CP24 such as this one contribute to anti-Palestinian racism, where Palestinians are presented as inherently violent or terrorist, when they are simply a people living under brutal Israeli military occupation and apartheid.
I am considering making a complaint to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council given the one-sided nature of your coverage in this segment. In the future, should you again use Israeli security video for a story, I insist that you comment on-air that the news segment is using sources exclusively from Israeli government sources and risks being one-sided and unbalanced. Better, I suggest that future coverage of events in Israel and Palestine use video footage from independent sources.
Honestly, I question the newsworthiness of this CP24 segment. I suspect that CP24 would not air a segment title, titled “Russian military releases footage of raid in the occupied Ukraine” if it received such footage. Please explain why you felt the release of Israeli military footage was important to your Canadian audience. As an occupation force in the occupied Palestinian territory, Israeli security forces frequently release video of their raids. What are the criteria you use to determine when to air such video?
I also note that your story mentions two Israeli brothers who were killed by Palestinians, but fail to report on the murder of Sameh al-Aqtash, a Palestinian civilian who was killed last week by Israelis. If we take seriously that Palestinian life matters equally to those of Israelis, a full and fair broadcast must mention the casualties of Palestinians in this story. Otherwise, the story is incomplete and unfair.
Finally, of the six Palestinians killed in the raid you cover, your broadcast mentions that “the Israeli military said one of those killed was a Hamas terrorist.” If 83 percent of the Palestinians killed appear to be civilians, I question why your reporting didn’t say, “Five of the six Palestinians killed by Israel appear to be civilians,” vs. “Israeli police said that one of those killed was a Hamas terrorist.”
I will continue to monitor CP24’s coverage moving forward, and expect such one-sided coverage of events in Israel and Palestine to end immediately. Should you wish, you can contact me at 438-380-5410 for more information.
Sincerely,
Reem Majid
Policy Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East