"This narrative framing is a long-time tactic used by the Israeli military to control the narrative surrounding attacks against Palestinians and Palestinian land. Your use of Israeli quotes further helps this tactic."
July 4, 2023
To:
Annie Bergeron-Oliver, Reporter, CTV National News
Dear Annie Bergeron-Oliver,
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 CTV National News With Lisa LaFlamme segment which aired on July 3, 2023, on CTV Edmonton.
First of all, I would like to thank you for reaching out to CJPME and including quotes from Michael Bueckert, our Vice President. We appreciated the opportunity to comment on this issue.
I appreciated that you included footage of Palestinians at protests and in hospitals, as well as a brief interview from an injured Palestinian man. Articles and news segments often leave out Palestinian perspectives, which leads to unbalanced coverage that favors Israeli perspectives over Palestinian ones. This is an ongoing issue in Western coverage of Palestine and Israel, so it is nice to see that your segment made an effort to highlight Palestinian perspectives. There is, however, more that could be done. Much of the video footage used in this segment comes from the Israeli army. If these kinds of videos are used, adequate screen time should be given to footage taken by Palestinians to avoid one-sided coverage.
Additionally, the segment featured several quotes from Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Netanyahu and an IDF spokesperson, which pushed the narrative that Jenin is a terrorist hub. This gives Israeli officials a chance to create excuses to justify the Jenin invasion. These statements promote the narrative that Israel is defending itself. The reality is the opposite; Israel chose to instigate these attacks against Palestinians in Jenin and is facing widespread international condemnation as a result, and your news segment should reflect this. This narrative framing is a long-time tactic used by the Israeli military to control the narrative surrounding attacks against Palestinians and Palestinian land. Your use of Israeli quotes further helps this tactic. Including more Palestinian sources, such as human rights organizations or actual Palestinians in Jenin are necessary in stories about this issue to provide fair and balanced coverage. You give Israeli officials a chance to make excuses for why the invasion in Jenin is happening but did not give Palestinians the same opportunity to give their perspective on why they are under attack and being massacred.
Finally, I appreciate that you made sure to say “occupied West Bank”, but, in the same vein, the title of this segment should not read “Israeli forces enter occupied West Bank”. It should instead read “Israeli forces invade occupied West Bank”. Since the West Bank is occupied Palestinian territory, any military raid within the West Bank should be classified as an invasion, since the Israeli army does not have internal military jurisdiction in these areas. The use of the word “enter” has a more peaceful connotation than the reality of these attacks. I insist that the title of this segment be changed and you consider these points for all future segments about Palestine and Israel.
Thank you for making these changes. Should you wish, you can contact me at 438-380-5410 for more information.
Sincerely,
Yasmeen Amer
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East