"I am mainly concerned about the portrayal of the events at Calgary University as merely "a clash" between police and students. In reality, it was a violent police raid resulting in the aggressive removal of protestors. The article fails to adequately address the power dynamics at play, concealing the suppression of freedom of expression, speech, and assembly."
May 13, 2024
To:
Kelsea Arnett, Reporter, The Globe and Mail
Alanna Smith, Reporter, The Globe and Mail
David Walmsley, Editor-in-Chief, The Globe and Mail
Sandra E. Martin, Standards Editor, The Globe and Mail
Dear Kelsea Arnett and Alanna Smith,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) to express my concern about the article “Protesters return to University of Calgary campus day after riot police clear encampment,” published by The Globe and Mail on May 10.
I am mainly concerned about the portrayal of the events at Calgary University as merely "a clash" between police and students. In reality, it was a violent police raid resulting in the aggressive removal of protestors. The article fails to adequately address the power dynamics at play, concealing the suppression of freedom of expression, speech, and assembly.
It would have been beneficial for readers to understand the reasons behind the encampments, such as why the protestors were calling the university to disclose any financial ties to Israel, and to provide context about the ongoing crisis and plausible genocide in Gaza, which the article downplays by placing the term genocide in quotations. Rather than presenting a balanced perspective, the article predominantly references the views of police and university officials, neglecting the voices of the protesting students. These students’ main call is to ultimately stop the killing of over 35,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children.
Additionally, while the article mentions at the very end a representative of the protestors’ point of view, Annette Lengyel, it fails to provide any information about her identity or the group she represents, unlike other individuals mentioned in the article. Lengyel is a human rights and social justice activist and readers should have been informed of this.
I urge you to make this article more balanced by including context and referencing diverse viewpoints, adhering to basic journalistic standards of impartiality.
Sincerely,
Mary Ann Matta,
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East