"I consider your use of the expression 'drumbeat of…' in the sentence, 'Air strikes in recent days have brought a constant drumbeat of deaths of Palestinians…' to be extremely insensitive and offensive. Despite how Palestinians are frequently dehumanized in popular depictions, their deaths are not mechanical inevitabilities, but individual tragedies. A look at other 'drumbeat of…' examples from Merriam-Webster demonstrate how insensitive your chosen language is. And I would suggest replacing the word 'constant drumbeat of deaths,' with 'tragic' or 'unfortunate' or 'sad.' Use of these other terms will more accurately capture the atmosphere among the survivors after 60 lives were so needlessly extinguished."
July 18, 2024
To:
Wafaa Shurafa, Producer, Associated Press
Josef Federman, News Director, Jerusalem, Associated Press
Sandra Martin, Standards Editor, Globe and Mail
Dear Ms. Shurafa, Ms. Martin,
It was with mixed emotions that I read the article that appeared yesterday in the Globe and Mail entitled, “Israeli strikes in southern, central Gaza kill more than 60 Palestinians, including in ‘safe zone.’”
I was glad to see that the headline for the article emphasized that Israeli air strikes had targeted Palestinians in a so-called “safe zone” in Gaza. Highlighting this aspect of the attack was important for your readers to understand Israel’s ruthlessness and its disregard for Palestinian civilian deaths.
I was also pleased to see that you used the active voice, i.e. “Israeli air strikes killed more than 60 Palestinians,” rather than the passive voice used so often to describe Israeli violence, e.g. “More than 60 Palestinians were killed…”
However, I consider your use of the expression “drumbeat of…” in the sentence, “Air strikes in recent days have brought a constant drumbeat of deaths of Palestinians…” to be extremely insensitive and offensive. Despite how Palestinians are frequently dehumanized in popular depictions, their deaths are not mechanical inevitabilities, but individual tragedies. A look at other “drumbeat of…” examples from Merriam-Webster demonstrate how insensitive your chosen language is. And I would suggest replacing the word “‘constant’ drumbeat of deaths,” with “tragic” or “unfortunate” or “sad.” Use of these other terms will more accurately capture the atmosphere among the survivors after 60 lives were so needlessly extinguished.
And finally, I must take issue with the way your article repeatedly cites Israeli officials, and Israeli justifications. Israel will indeed justify, excuse and rationalize their attacks, and this cannot be stopped. However, it is the role of a professional journalist to demonstrate skepticism of institutional narratives, and provide an alternative perspective. As such, I implore you to seek the opinion of legal experts, or military experts to provide an alternative perspective on whether Israel’s attacks are legally justified, or militarily justified, respectively. A medical expert or witness could also have provided testimony of the horror of the attacks, making the victims more than mere numbers.
I call on the Globe and Mail and Associated Press to elevate the level of their journalism – Canadian readers deserve much better! I am happy to discuss further at 1-438-380-5410, should you wish to do so.
Sincerely,
Thomas Woodley, MPA
President, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East