"These details are probably relevant for people to know. Why does a protester who was in a scuffle with a cop and allegedly fought back with a plastic straw deserve such outsized and one-sided media attention? That is a question Global News ought to offer. It is a sad day in Canadian media when plastic straw attacks garner significantly more media attention than plausible accusations of genocide."
April 24, 2024
To:
Elton Hobson, National Managing Editor, Online Video, Global News
Rishma Govani, Director of Communications News & Radio, Global News
George Browne, Managing Editor, Global News Online
Catherine Urquhart, Journalist, Global News
Dear Elton Hobson, Rishma Govani, George Browne, and Catherine Urquhart,
I’m writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East to express serious concerns about your recent coverage of events related to Gaza.
Here’s a sense of what the Global News “Israel-Hamas Conflict” tag looks like in April 2024 (screenshots from April 24):
In headlines and photographs, pro-Palestine protests are framed in terms of violence, arrests, vandalism, traffic delays, and generally suggest to readers a sense of illegality. These protests could easily be covered as a mass movement against genocide, but that is not how Global chooses to frame it.
Indeed, the issue of genocide is scrubbed from these stories. For example, the story entitled “At UN court, Germany rejects allegations that it’s facilitating Israel conflict” is a whitewashed version of the truth. Nicaragua is accusing Germany of facilitating Israeli genocide, not merely “conflict.”
While sympathetic images of the Israeli families of hostages are prominent, and their concerns are captured in multiple articles and headlines, no such treatment is given to the families of Palestinians in Gaza. Why has Global opted to omit coverage of the mass graves at Gaza hospitals attacked by Israel? AP has a story on it. It appears that when faced with the decision to cover an Israeli intelligence official’s resignation or Palestinian mass graves, Global opted only to cover the former.
“Police arrest suspect accused of assaulting officer at Gaza protest in Vancouver” by Catherine Urquhart is particularly concerning. The story is focused on a month-old incident in which a protester is accused of assaulting a police officer. The article also includes a video segment.
The segment relies on the testimony of a witness, Jarryd Jager (sic). Jarryd Jaeger is a journalist for The Post Millennial, a right-wing news outlet known for themes like transphobia, conspiracy, and generally shoddy journalism practices. His Twitter is riddled with anti-Palestinian tweets and false information about Israel’s attacks on Gaza. It is hard to imagine a more problematic “witness” for Global News to rely on.
Worse yet, while there are testimonies from police, no protesters or organizers are interviewed during the segment, which leads to confounding claims. For example, viewers only hear the police officer allege that the protester attacked a protester with an “item.” It has been widely reported that the item was a small plastic flag in her hand. The flag pole she used appears to be similar to a long plastic straw. These details are probably relevant for people to know. Why does a protester who was in a scuffle with a cop and allegedly fought back with a plastic straw deserve such outsized and one-sided media attention? That is a question Global News ought to offer. It is a sad day in Canadian media when plastic straw attacks garner significantly more media attention than plausible accusations of genocide.
There is more that could be said about your disappointing ongoing coverage of these issues, but I hope this letter will encourage some reflection in the Global newsroom.
Sincerely,
Jason Toney
Director of Media Advocacy, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East