"We were disappointed to hear the segment continuously refers to the attacks on Jenin as a “military operation.” This neutral-sounding terminology completely obscures the fact that Israel is illegally occupying the West Bank and that the Israeli army does not have any internal military jurisdiction in Jenin. The word “operation” erases the aggressive nature of these attacks. Moreover, by using Israel’s preferred language to describe this deadly attack, you are allowing the perpetrator of a crime to define how their actions are discussed, which is deeply unethical."
July 5, 2023
To:
Marcia Young, Host, World Report CBC Radio One
Idil Mussa, Producer, World Report CBC Radio One
Dear Marcia Young and Idil Mussa,
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 radio segment about Israel’s actions in the Jenin refugee camp which aired during World Report on CBC Radio One on July 5, 2023.
We were disappointed to hear the segment continuously refers to the attacks on Jenin as a “military operation.” This neutral-sounding terminology completely obscures the fact that Israel is illegally occupying the West Bank and that the Israeli army does not have any internal military jurisdiction in Jenin. The word “operation” erases the aggressive nature of these attacks. Moreover, by using Israel’s preferred language to describe this deadly attack, you are allowing the perpetrator of a crime to define how their actions are discussed, which is deeply unethical.
I insist that all future coverage of this issue must stop using the term “military operation” and instead use “military invasion.”
On top of this, the segment included far more Israeli perspectives than those from Palestinians. The only Palestinian quote included in the segment came from a man in Jenin whose shop was destroyed. The rest of the segment was filled with Israeli perspectives attempting to justify why the Jenin attacks were happening. The Israeli military has a pattern of justifying violence against Palestinians by claiming that they are acting in self-defence, and your overreliance on Israeli quotes pushed this narrative to your listeners. Thus, the segment allowed Israel to make excuses for why the invasion happened but did not give Palestinians the same opportunity to provide their perspective about the meaning of the attack. More quotes and interviews with Palestinians and human rights organizations on the ground must be included in future segments about this issue.
Finally, your segment uses a lot of passive language when describing the consequences of the Israeli military invasion. More specifically, you say “roads destroyed, piles of debris and rubble, power and water supplies still cut off” without making it clear that it was Israeli forces who caused this destruction. This passive phrasing takes the blame away from the Israeli army in the minds of listeners. The Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association (AMEJA) guidelines suggest avoiding this kind of both-sides framing, and that news coverage should “recognize the power imbalance between Israel and the Palestinian people.” All coverage relating to Palestine-Israel must consider this.
We expect that future coverage on this and similar issues will reflect our suggested 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