"It is certainly one thing to note Meir’s status as Israel’s first female Prime Minister and to call her an important person, but to promote such an adulatory, hagiographical view of her is simply dangerous. This is especially true as Israel’s occupation is increasingly being described as apartheid by international and Israeli human rights groups as well as leading figures of, and studies commissioned by, the United Nations."
To:
George Achi, Director of Journalistic Standards and Public Trust, CBC
Nancy Waugh, Sr. Manager, CBC
Dear George Achi and Nancy Waugh,
I'm writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to express serious concern about the CBC Ottawa Morning August 31 segment with Tom McSorley about the new biopic, Golda.
CBC should take corrective action based on the following:
Golda Meir regularly denied the existence of a Palestinian national identity as well as their very humanity. In 1969 she said that “There was no such thing as Palestinians.”[1] This same sentiment was recently expressed by Israel’s Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who said there’s “no such thing as a Palestinian people.” Smotrich’s comments led to widespread condemnations of racism.
Golda Meir also said she didn’t consider Yassar Arafat and other Palestinian leaders to be human beings at all, “I simply think they’re not men. I don’t even consider them human beings, and the worst thing you can say of a man is that he’s not a human being. It’s like saying he’s an animal, isn’t it?”[2] This is oppressive dehumanization at its most brazen.
Given the above, which are two examples of many, it is deeply alarming that Tom McSorley would refer to Golda Meir as an “amazing person” with an “amazing story.” Perhaps these comments are made out of ignorance, but they are nonetheless hurtful to CBC’s Palestinian listeners. It is certainly one thing to note Meir’s status as Israel’s first female Prime Minister and to call her an important person, but to promote such an adulatory, hagiographical view of her is simply dangerous. This is especially true as Israel’s occupation is increasingly being described as apartheid by international and Israeli human rights groups as well as leading figures of, and studies commissioned by, the United Nations.
When one can draw such a neat line between Golda Meir and the extremists in Israel’s governing coalition, the importance of fair and balanced coverage balloons ever larger.
McSorley should be given the opportunity to clarify his remarks on air or apologize and the CBC should do the same.
In the past, McSorely has fairly covered Palestinian cinema (his March 2023 coverage of The Flag, for example), so we hope there is an openness about acknowledging the mistake on this matter.
Please feel free to contact me at 438-380-5410 for more information or additional comment.
Sincerely,
Jason Toney
Director of Media Advocacy, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
[1] Seth Anziska, “One of Those Extremists,” London Review of Books, July 13, 2023, https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n14/seth-anziska/one-of-those-extremists.
[2] The Free Library. S.v. Oriana Fallaci: writer and fighter historic interviews with Golda Meir and Sharon Inter Alia.." Retrieved Sep 01 2023 from https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Oriana+Fallaci%3a+writer+and+fighter+historic+interviews+with+Golda...-a0166933944.