"According to reports starting in January, when they began accepting applications, there has been constant criticism related to Canada’s 1,000-person quota and the application’s stringent demands, like incredibly invasive and detailed questions. Considering these questions pertain to civilians in Gaza, for families in Canada to access this information from people experiencing constant airstrikes and communication blackouts is nearly impossible."
February 29, 2024
To:
Dawna Friesen, Anchor and Executive Editor, Global News
Elton Hobson, National Managing Editor, Online Video, Global News
Tania Kohut, Supervisor, National Online Breaking News, Global News
Dear Global News Team,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East to express concern regarding a recent news segment titled “Gaza crisis: Palestinian-Canadians frustrated with visa program,” posted on February 28 on Global News.
While Global News features some of the Palestinian-Canadians who were protesting outside the House of Commons, this reporting– supposedly about Canada’s visa program for Gazans with family in Canada– fell short. Indeed, the testimonies of protestors were insightful and conveyed the widespread frustration folks have with Canada’s passivity regarding the visa program. These testimonies alone, however, do not provide the audience with the adequate context needed to understand the visa program and its shortcomings fully.
According to reports starting in January, when they began accepting applications, there has been constant criticism related to Canada’s 1,000-person quota and the application’s stringent demands, like incredibly invasive and detailed questions. Considering these questions pertain to civilians in Gaza, for families in Canada to access this information from people experiencing constant airstrikes and communication blackouts is nearly impossible. The examples I’ve listed are all critical for the audience to understand the extent to which the way the visa program has been designed is fundamentally incongruent with the conditions created by Israel in Gaza.
Further, neither “Israel” nor its brutal military campaign that began in October was mentioned once in the news segment. Considering a large part of why family members in Gaza are stuck is due to Israel’s genocidal and uncooperative behavior, this blatant omission from the segment seems deliberate. In any case, it's poor journalism.
The reporter ends the segment stating that “the time for action is now because the stakes could not be higher,” and yet, the “stakes” are not outlined once. Relevant stakes include the fact that over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed and 70,000 injured, and a considerable portion of the population, including children, is at risk of death due to starvation.
This news segment strings testimonies together without filling in gaps, which leaves the audience wondering Who? What? Where? And Why? Please consider editing this news segment to include information that contextualizes the testimonies.
Sincerely,
Rose Mardikian,
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East