"I take foremost issue with your article giving overwhelmingly voice to Richard Marceau, vice president for the Centre of Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, director of policy and advocacy at the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Richard Robertson, director for research and advocacy for B’nai Brith Canada, while you only briefly quote the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM)."
July 16, 2024
To:
Stephanie Taylor, Journalist, Canadian Press
Andrea Baillie, Editor-in-Chief, Canadian Press
Tim Cook, Assistant Managing Editor, Canadian Press
Nicole MacIntyre, Editor-in-Chief, Toronto Star
Dear Stephanie Taylor, Andrea Baillie, Tim Cook, and Nicole MacIntyre,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East to express concern regarding a recent article titled “Jewish advocates say details around investigation into human-rights chief murky,” published on July 12 in Toronto Star.
I take foremost issue with your article giving overwhelmingly voice to Richard Marceau, vice president for the Centre of Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, director of policy and advocacy at the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Richard Robertson, director for research and advocacy for B’nai Brith Canada, while you only briefly quote the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM).
Since the appointment of Dattani as the Canadian Human Rights Commission adviser, you have published another article on July 5, 2024, titled: Conservatives vow to remove Liberals’ pick for Canadian Human Rights Commission where you again give voice to CIJA, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, and B’nai Brith.
These organizations and pro-Israel Canadian MPs, such as Anthony Housefather, are always given a platform, especially when reporting on antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian racism (APR). At the same time, the same cannot be said for pro-Palestinian and Muslim organizations.
Since October 7, you have published four articles about Anthony Housefather:
- MP Housefather ‘reflecting’ on future with the Liberals after Middle East motion vote on March 19, 2024
- Trudeau won’t say if he has spoken to Housefather since Gaza motion on March 28, 2024
- Montreal MP Anthony Housefather to remain in Liberal caucus despite anger over motion on April 5, 2024
- Montreal Liberal MP Anthony Housefather named to new antisemitism adviser role on July 5, 2024
To illustrate the idea further, you didn’t cover the appointment of Deborah Lyons as special envoy on Holocaust remembrance and combating antisemitism and the reactions it has generated in the Palestinian and Muslim communities.
Since October 7, you have published two articles on Deborah Lyons where you don’t give voice to any pro-Palestine, Palestinian or Muslim individual:
- Canada’s new antisemitism envoy Deborah Lyons eye hate speech on campuses and online published on October 16, 2023
- Removing religion as hate speech defence an idea worth exploring: antisemitism envoy published on May 23, 2024.
There is a clear double standard. I urge you to be more balanced by including pro-Palestine, Palestinian, and Muslim voices in your reporting of hate crimes and the appointment of individuals as heads of Canadian institutions.
I hope the Toronto Star and Canadian Press will consider this suggestion in their future reporting on hate crimes and the appointment of individuals as heads of Canadian institutions.
Sincerely,
Fatima Haidar
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East