"Such language violates basic journalistic standards but also stands in direct opposition to the recommendations made by leading journalistic organizations specializing in coverage of the Middle East."
May 9, 2024
Dear Allan Woods, Donovan Vincent, and Anne Marie Owens,
I’m writing to express concern about your coverage of Gaza and specifically the recent article, “Israel just seized a Gaza border crossing. Here’s what it could mean for aid efforts, as ceasefire talks resume,” by Allan Woods on May 7, 2024.
Data from The Breach shows that the Toronto Star’s coverage of Palestinian and Israeli deaths was slanted. Between October 7 – November 24, 2023, 87% of the time Israeli deaths were mentioned, they were blamed on Hamas. However, only 55% of the time when Palestinian deaths were mentioned were they blamed on Israel. My general impression is that this divide has only worsened since this data was tracked. Even though there is mounting evidence of Israel killing its civilians on October 7, active language is used to attribute all of the October 7 Israeli death toll to Hamas-led militants. However, despite the 7-month-long siege on Gaza carried out by Israel, the Toronto Star regularly uses passive language (“have died”) to describe Palestinian deaths and does not attribute those deaths to Israeli violence. In the case of this article, the 35,000 Palestinian deaths are due not to Israeli attacks, blockades, and starvation tactics, but to the vague “ensuing war.”
Here is the passage in question in this article:
Israel’s war goals include the elimination of Hamas as well as the return of its remaining hostages, more than 130 of whom are believed to have been taken to Gaza on Oct. 7, the day that Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people.
The ensuing war has killed an estimated 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.
Such language violates basic journalistic standards but also stands in direct opposition to the recommendations made by leading journalistic organizations specializing in coverage of the Middle East.
For example:
In “Media Resource Guide: Palestine/Israel,” (2023) the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association recommends:
Be precise in your reporting of casualties. Avoid reporting headlines or ledes such as, “More than 30 dead in Gaza and Israel as fighting quickly escalates,” if for instance you know that the majority of those killed were Palestinians in Gaza. Tell readers who was killed or injured, where and by whom, using active, rather than passive language.
In “Guidance for Reporting on Palestine/Israel,” (2021) the Institute for Middle East Understanding recommends:
Don’t use passive language to describe Israeli violence against Palestinians.
Avoid saying Palestinians “died,” “lost their lives,” etc. when they are killed by Israelis. This obfuscates the reality of the violence that Palestinians endure on a daily basis and Israel’s responsibility for inflicting it upon them.
I urge the Toronto Star to reconsider its practices related to death toll reporting and consider implementing the recommendations made by the Institute for Middle East Understanding, the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association, and also of the International Press Institute as outlined in “Use With Care, A reporter’s Glossary of Loaded Language in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.”
Sincerely,
Jason Toney
Director of Media Advocacy, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East