"Whether this is a deliberate exclusion, or the result of inadequate research, it is poor journalism. This article is misleading as written and must be edited immediately to maintain minimum standards of objectivity."
June 4, 2024
Dear CBC British Columbia editors,
I want to express concern regarding one of CBC’s recent articles titled, "14 arrested as protesters block traffic, rail line in Vancouver," published on May 31.
By only including testimonies provided by representatives of Vancouver’s Police Department regarding the protest on May 31, this article reads as incredibly one-sided and unfair. A number of protesters who blocked trains in East Vancouver have taken to social media to express that the railblockade had been violently dispersed by VPD, including 14 arrests and two injured folks who have been hospitalized. That evening, one protester posted to recruit jail support, as protesters had been “violently arrested, several pepper sprayed, punched, assaulted, and choked.”
Omitting any recollections of police brutality provided by protesters leaves VPD’s statement that “some members” became “hostile to police” completely unchallenged. Whether this is a deliberate exclusion, or the result of inadequate research, it is poor journalism. This article is misleading as written and must be edited immediately to maintain minimum standards of objectivity.
Sincerely,
Rose Mardikian,
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East