"It is disappointing that certain voices are taken at face value and that specific interpretations are selected as an attempt to frame the action of the man climbing the front of the Mount Sinai hospital as antisemitic while disregarding that this framing contributes to anti-Palestinian racism (APR) left unacknowledged in your article."
February 15, 2024
To:
Ben Cohen, Staff Reporter, Toronto Star
Donovan Vincent, Public Editor, Toronto Star
Dear Ben Cohen and Donovan Vincent,
I am writing to express my concern about the article: “Toronto police increase presence around Mount Sinai Hospital amid debate over pro-Palestinian protesters,” published on February 14 in Toronto Star.
There are two main issues in your article that I would like to point out.
First, to weigh in on the action of the man climbing the front of the Mount Sinai hospital, you give the first voice to 1) the Toronto Police and 2) Leaders of Toronto’s largest hospitals before giving voice to the protesters without even mentioning the intention behind the protest.
In doing so, the article did not even acknowledge the ongoing situation in Gaza, and specifically Rafah amidst Israel’s assault, which was the intention behind the rally. This omission is even more concerning, considering that the article writes about the two Intifadas and their death toll.
I, therefore, ask you to balance the article by adding more information about the intentions behind the protest and more context about the situation in Gaza, specifically Rafah.
Second, the article’s central point shifts to false accusations of antisemitism by giving voice to politicians and Noah Shack, vice-president for countering antisemitism and hate at UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, and by adding selective context information in that sense:
You give space to an interpretation of the word Intifada by mentioning that “many Jews have seen [it] as a call for violence against them.”
You end your article with this sentence: “It has been widely accepted, though, that holding Jews or Jewish institutions in general responsible for Israel’s actions is antisemitism.”
It is disappointing that certain voices are taken at face value and that specific interpretations are selected as an attempt to frame the action of the man climbing the front of the Mount Sinai hospital as antisemitic while disregarding that this framing contributes to anti-Palestinian racism (APR) left unacknowledged in your article.
The hospital was established by Jews. However, the workforce is not exclusively Jewish. The hospital's front entrance does not explicitly indicate that it’s a Jewish institution. Nothing about the hospital’s vision, mission, purpose, and value says anything about it being a Jewish institution, only that it has a Jewish heritage.[1]
There is no clear basis for accusations of antisemitism, only impressions by association.
Sadly, overall, your coverage does not uphold the journalist’s ethic of “diversity.” The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) ethics guidelines states, “Diversity recognizes the essential dignity and human rights of individuals who experience the world in different ways through their ethnicity, culture, religion, gender identity, political views […].” The CAJ’s guidelines state, for example, that news organizations must:
- “seek to include views from a wide cross-section of people, including those who have been historically underrepresented.”
- “understand that conveying one individual’s or group’s views doesn’t accurately and fulsomely reflect the experiences of the entire community.”
- “encourage our organizations to make room for the interests of all: minorities and majorities; those with power and those without it; and holders of disparate and conflicting views.”
The journalism in this article didn’t have a concern for diversity. I therefore strongly recommend that Toronto Star incorporate my recommendations and exercise more caution when reporting on pro-Palestine rallies in the future.
Sincerely,
Fatima Haidar,
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
[1] The grind magazine, “What happened outside Mount Sinai Hospital as a pro-Palestine rally passed by?” https://www.thegrindmag.ca/what-happened-mount-sinai-hospital-palestine-rally-passed-by/