"The second news segment titled 'Hopes for a Palestinian state further recede under Israel’s new government' offers excellent coverage of the effect of Israel’s far-right policies on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Your segment also calls attention to the perspective of Palestinians critical of the Palestinian Authority and their collaboration with Israeli forces. This is critical reporting that accurately represents Palestinian voices on the ground.
Thank you for your coverage and I hope that you continue to highlight important Palestinian stories for Canadian audiences."
April 5, 2023
To:
Margaret Evans, Foreign Correspondent, CBC News
Brodie Fenlon, Editor-in-Chief, CBC News
Mari Ito, Managing Editor of Digital Publishing, CBC News
Dear Ms. Evans, Mr. Fenlon and Ms. Ito,
I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to thank you for two of your news segments aired by CBC’s The National on April 3 and April 5, 2023, respectively.
The first news segment titled “Israel approves new National Guard despite officials’ warning” provides fair coverage of Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and his “national guard.” It is crucial for Canadian audiences to understand that Netanyahu’s decision to halt the judicial reforms was predicated on his approval to establish a “national guard” under Ben-Gvir’s control.
I appreciate that you interview Palestinian citizens of Israel for their perspectives on Israel’s new far-right government seeing as their voices are often left out of the news cycle. However, you used the term “Arab Israelis” in one instance of the segment which is a politicized term, intended to downplay the “Palestinian” identity of the vast majority of the members of this group. It also intentionally downplays the Palestinians’ connection with their land. In fact, both the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA)[1] and the International Press Institute (IPI) [2] encourage journalists to use the term “Palestinian citizens of Israel” or simply “Palestinian.” I appreciate, however, that you use the term “Palestinian citizens of Israel” in another instance of the news segment.
As such, I strongly urge you to remain consistent by refraining from using the term “Arab Israelis” and instead using “Palestinian citizens of Israel” or “Palestinians” in all future reporting.
The second news segment titled “Hopes for a Palestinian state further recede under Israel’s new government” offers excellent coverage of the effect of Israel’s far-right policies on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Your segment also calls attention to the perspective of Palestinians critical of the Palestinian Authority and their collaboration with Israeli forces. This is critical reporting that accurately represents Palestinian voices on the ground.
Thank you for your coverage and I hope that you continue to highlight important Palestinian stories for Canadian audiences.
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
[1] Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA), “Tips and resources for covering issues related to Israel and Palestine,” May 24, 2021, https://ijnet.org/en/story/tips-and-resources-covering-issues-related-israel-and-palestine
[2] “Use with Care: A Reporter’s Glossary of Loaded Language in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict,” International Press Institute, Oct. 23, 2013, p. 26, https://ipi.media/use-with-care-reporters-glossary-of-loaded-language-in-the-israeli-palestinian-conflict/