"Ms. Mendick's extremely selective framing of her story evokes empathy for the hostages while omitting the fact that there are instances where Israel has killed its own citizens."
May 24, 2024
To:
Josef Federman, News Director, Jerusalem, Associated Press
David Walmsley, Editor-in-Chief, Globe and Mail
Sam Mendick, Journalist, Associated Press
I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to express concerns regarding your recent article: “Israeli army recovers bodies of three hostages killed in Oct. 7 raid”, published on May 24, 2024.
First, Ms. Sam, you describe that Israeli forces recovered the bodies of three hostages, Hanan Yablonka, Michel Nisenbaum, and Orion Hernandez Radoux who were killed by Hamas on October 7 at the Mefalsim intersection and taken to Gaza. Towards the end of your article, you provide personal details about one of the hostages, Yablonka, who was “a father of two, was also taken from the music festival. His family in December told the AP that he loved music”. I find it extremely selective that you framed the story to evoke empathy for the hostages while omitting the fact that there are instances where Israel has killed its own citizens.
For evidence, on December 15, Israeli soldiers mistakenly killed three Israeli hostages. The soldiers heard cries for help and believed it might be a trick by Hamas to lure them into an ambush. Acting on this belief, they opened fire, resulting in the death of the hostages. The Israeli military released its investigation results explaining that the soldiers’ actions were justified given the circumstances as they perceived them at the time. I therefore find your reporting to be very selective as it overlooks the crucial fact that Israeli soldiers have been responsible for the deaths of their own hostages.
Second, your reporting lacks contextual information regarding the situation in Palestine. You write:
“Israel’s offensive since the war began has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, and has caused a humanitarian crisis and a near-famine.”
I am not suggesting that you refrain from reporting on the Israeli hostages. What I am suggesting is to maintain your journalistic responsibility for accuracy and fairness, as echoed by the CAJ, to provide more context regarding the situation in Palestine beyond just one sentence. For example, it would be useful for readers to mention Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestine, which has persisted for 75 years, and is marked by Israel’s use of war tactics such as forced displacement, starvation, and the indiscriminate bombing of Palestinians. It would also be useful to include that since May 6, more than 800,000 Palestinians have been displaced from Rafah alone which is reminiscent of the Nakba where 700,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced out of their homes.
In the interest of upholding your journalistic standards, I urge you, Ms. Sam, to take my suggestions into consideration.
Sincerely,
Lynn Naji
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East