"14 Israelis have been killed this year according to The Associated Press. 7 of these casualties occurred during a January 27th shooting in Jerusalem.[i] As such, the number given by Ms. Sommer was a significant error requiring correction — double the real total during the stated period."
March 9, 2023
To:
Jeanne Armstrong, Producer, CBC As It Happens
Chris Howden, Host, CBC As It Happens
Nil Köksal, Host, CBC As It Happens
Allison Kaplan Sommer, Journalist, Haaretz
Ombudsman, CBC (CC)
Dear Ms. Sommer, Mr. Howden, Ms. Köksal, and Ms. Armstrong,
I’m writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to note a factual error during a segment on March 9, 2023 of As It Happens and to demand an on-air correction.
Journalist Allison Kaplan Sommer incorrectly stated:
“…in the middle of a terror wave we've had 14 Israelis killed in the past month.”
14 Israelis have been killed this year according to The Associated Press. 7 of these casualties occurred during a January 27th shooting in Jerusalem.[1] As such, the number given by Ms. Sommer was a significant error requiring correction — double the real total during the stated period.
I insist that you make an on-air correction to clarify that 14 Israelis were killed this year, not in the past month.
You must also clarify Ms. Sommer’s remark that “many Palestinians” have been killed during Israeli “incursions into the West bank.” The actual number of Palestinians killed by Israelis this year is now at least 75, more than five times the Israeli casualties.[2] The way this information was provided obscured the asymmetrical violence committed by Israelis against Palestinians.
I insist that during your on-air correction you state that the actual number of Palestinians killed by Israelis this year is now at least 75, more than five times the Israeli casualties.
Please acknowledge receipt of this correction and inform me of your plans to make the necessary corrections.
Please contact me if you would like to discuss this matter further at 438-380-5410.
Respectfully,
Jason Toney
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
Director of Media Advocacy
[1] Josef Federman and Isabel Debre, “Palestinian gunmen kills 7 near Jerusalem synagogue,” January 27, 2023, The Associated Press, https://apnews.com/article/politics-israel-government-palestinian-territories-benjamin-netanyahu-fb2251b5b6c8ef73a21f87620d20090c.
[2] Isabel Debre, “Israeli fire kills Palestinian Attacker, teen in West Bank,” March 10, 2023, The Associated Press, https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-attack-tel-aviv-west-bank-663ee18ddec2642d8a3bd9ee60b6a587.