"It is misleading to write that the event involved “three Israeli advocates” as they are members of Israel’s occupation forces. Describing these individuals as advocates glosses over the controversial nature of the event and also the reasoning behind the protest at a time when the ICJ has accused Israel of committing a plausible genocide in Gaza."
March 06, 2024
To:
Alyssia Rubertucci, Reporter, CityNews Montreal
Anastasia Dextrene, Reporter, CityNews Montreal
Brittany Henriques, Reporter, CityNews Montreal
Fariha Naqvi-Mohamed, DeverseCity Reporter, CityNews Montreal
Gareth Madoc-Jones, Reporter, CityNews Montreal
Pamela Pagano, Reporter, CityNews Montreal
Swidda Rassy, Reporter, CityNews Montreal
Tina Tenneriello, Reporter, CityNews Montreal
Dear Alyssia Rubertucci, Anastasia Dextrene, Brittany Henriques, Fariha Naqvi-Mohamed, Gareth Madoc-Jones, Pamela Pagano, Swidda Rassy, and Tina Tenneriello,
I am writing to request changes in the article: “Pro-Palestinian protesters prevent attendees from entering Israel speaking tour event,” published on March 5 in City News Montreal.
I take foremost issue with the misleading headline. The headline does not provide enough information about the “Israel speaking tour event” and doesn’t raise how controversial it was as the guests were members of Israel’s occupation forces.
I, therefore, ask you to add the words “hosting Israel occupation forces members” after the words “Israel speaking tour event” to your headline to give a better picture of how controversial the event was.
Second, and to further illustrate my first point, you write: “A promotional poster for the “Israeli Perspective Coming to Life” event says it was a speaking tour on the “fight against the delegitimization of Israel” involving three Israeli advocates.”
It is misleading to write that the event involved “three Israeli advocates” as they are members of Israel’s occupation forces. Describing these individuals as advocates glosses over the controversial nature of the event and also the reasoning behind the protest at a time when the ICJ has accused Israel of committing a plausible genocide in Gaza.
I, therefore, ask you to change the words “three Israeli advocates” to the words “three members of Israel’s occupation forces” to be more accurate so that your readers understand better the intentions behind the protest and emphasize how controversial the event is.
Third, while you gave voice to one attendee of this event, you did not include voices from the protesters themselves.
By not including voices from the protesters themselves and not mentioning who the organizers are, the Concordia University chapter of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHRCONU), the article reinforces the bias set by the headline, such as negatively depicting pro-Palestine protesters as not peaceful or even violent.
I, therefore, ask you to include voices from the pro-Palestinian protesters and to mention that the organizers were SPHRCONU to balance the record about the action to your readers.
As a closing statement, I want to bring your attention to the fact that Montreal’s Jewish community was not alone in organizing the event. In fact, the pro-Israel group DiploAct, which exists “to strengthen Israel's image around the world,” was involved. Failing to highlight DiploAct’s involvement in an event which was the subject of protests promulgates the conflation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism, and could cause a misunderstanding among your readers of the reasons for the protest.
I, therefore, ask you to change the words: “Montreal’s Jewish community” to include the exact name of the organizers of the event, “Montreal’s Jewish community and DiploAct,” to not further mislead your readers.
I hope City News Montreal will make these changes and keep in mind these suggestions in future reporting on local actions in solidarity with Palestine.
Sincerely,
Fatima Haidar,
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East