"For whom is the English term “most commonly associated with attacks by Palestinian terrorist groups on public venues?” Certainly, that is one perspective, but how is the Canadian Press determining that is the most common one among the world’s English-speaking population? This is an absurd, unfair, and indefensible position — there is no evidence for such a supposition. Indeed, the term “intifada” encompasses a wide range of sentiments."
To:
Stephanie Taylor, Canadian Press
Andrea Baillie, Canadian Press
Tim Cook, Canadian Press
Dear Stephanie Taylor, Andrea Baillie, and Tim Cook,
I’m writing to express concern about the recent article, “Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns,” published by Canadian Press on May 6, 2024.
Your article uses a variety of language that perpetuates the unfair practice of “both sides” framing which obscures the reality of the power imbalance between Israel on the one hand and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on the other. Your article uses the following formulations: “the conflict,” “the war,” and “the situation.” All of these choices de-contextualize the massive military assault Israel is carrying out against Palestinians in Gaza which numerous international institutions describe as genocide. Such language also obscures the power imbalance between the two parties. There is no language speaking to this in clear terms throughout the article, only the vague references I have mentioned. The International Press Institute (IPI) specifically suggests avoiding this type of language in their document “Use with Care: A Reporter’s Glossary of Loaded Language in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.” I would highly recommend that the Canadian Press consider implementing some of the IPI suggestions.
While I respect that you are reporting on a document, it seems unfair to not add context around the following section:
The documents outline how federal officials consistently heard from Jewish leaders about the need for police to take more action to stop “the hateful rhetoric expressed at rallies.” It specifically points to the use of the term “Zionist.”
“As an overwhelming majority of Jews identify as Zionists and believe in the need for a Jewish state … calls for attacks against Zionists should be seen as calls for attacks against Jews.”
It only seems appropriate, fair, and balanced to mention that many Jewish people in Canada support the protests and actively participate — entire organizations have been established to formalize this reality, like Independent Jewish Voices. While there is less polling in Canada about the Jewish community’s attitudes towards Israel, opinion is mixed in the US. While Canadian Press may not intend to portray Jews in Canada as a monolith, by failing to contextualize these claims you are unfairly omitting the realities of this nuance. I insist that you add more context about mixed attitudes towards the conflation of Jewishness and Zionism.
I am also highly concerned about your biased description of the term “intifada.” You write:
In Arabic, intifada is a word with meanings that include shaking off oppression. In English, it is most commonly associated with two periods of particular intensity in the Israel-Palestine conflict, which included a series of attacks by Palestinian terrorist groups on public venues inside Israel.
For whom is the English term “most commonly associated with attacks by Palestinian terrorist groups on public venues?” Certainly, that is one perspective, but how is the Canadian Press determining that is the most common one among the world’s English-speaking population? This is an absurd, unfair, and indefensible position — there is no evidence for such a supposition. Indeed, the term “intifada” encompasses a wide range of sentiments. The idea of “intifada” is generally seen in a positive light amongst the pro-Palestine community in Canada, which has grown immensely over time.
I urge you to modify this gross oversimplification of “intifada” and provide a more fair and balanced description of the term.
Sincerely,
Jason Toney
Director of Media Advocacy, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East