"Unfortunately, this type of reporting - the use of passive voice and lack of legal context - is commonplace for CBC News. CJPME has regularly reached out and requested that CBC stop endorsing a pattern of anti-Palestinian bias and adopt a more balanced and accurate approach in its coverage of Israel-Palestine."
June 28, 2024
To:
Yasmine Hassan, Producer, CBC News
Nancy Waugh, Sr Manager, Journalistic Standards, CBC News
Dear Ms. Hassan and Ms. Waugh,
I am writing from Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East to express concerns about the article “Tearful goodbyes as sick children are evacuated from Gaza for medical care” published by CBC News on June 27, 2024.
While there are other glaring issues in your article, I take issue foremost with this paragraph:
“Nine months of war has devastated much of Gaza's health infrastructure, with Israel targeting its attack on hospitals and schools it claims Hamas fighters have used as shields and hiding places for weapons. Health staff are scrambling to deal with the high demand for medical attention from civilians caught in the crossfire of fighting — without access to proper medical supplies.”
First, it is not the “nine months of war” that has devastated Gaza's health infrastructure, but Israel’s deliberate systematic assault on Gaza’s health care system. Second, Palestinians in Gaza “do not have access to proper medical supplies” because Israel is deliberately imposing a blockade.
Israel has been bombing hospitals, arresting health care workers, blocking fuel and medical supplies. The use of the passive tense to describe these facts without clearly stating it is Israel, the perpetrator, who is responsible for the destruction of Gaza’s health care system whitewashes Israel’s assaults, responsibility and perpetuates its impunity.
Second, you write “nine months of war has devastated much of Gaza's health infrastructure, with Israel targeting its attack on hospitals and schools it claims Hamas fighters have used as shields and hiding places for weapons.” Hamas has denied the accusations they have used human shields, and Israel has not allowed independent investigators to verify such claims. As such, your failure to raise skepticism about these claims serves to 1) rationalize these attacks, 2) downplay Israel’s responsibility for targeting civilian infrastructure, and 3) overlooks the broader and systematic nature of Israel’s assaults on Gaza’s healthcare and educational facilities.
I, therefore, recommend changing the sentence from:
“Nine months of war has devastated much of Gaza's health infrastructure, with Israel targeting its attack on hospitals and schools it claims Hamas fighters have used as shields and hiding places for weapons.”
To a sentence along these lines:
“Israel has been systematically assaulting Gaza's health infrastructure, with reports of Israel targeting hospitals and schools, actions which are considered war crimes under international law.”
Unfortunately, this type of reporting - the use of passive voice and lack of legal context - is commonplace for CBC News. CJPME has regularly reached out and requested that CBC stop endorsing a pattern of anti-Palestinian bias and adopt a more balanced and accurate approach in its coverage of Israel-Palestine.
I hope CBC takes my edits into consideration now and in future reporting of the war imposed by Israel in Gaza.
Awaiting your response.
Sincerely,
Lynn Naji
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East