"Journalists serve as watchdogs, holding states and institutions accountable for unjust actions and violations of international humanitarian law. However, your report appears to normalize Israel's targeting of a journalist. Instead of clearly acknowledging Ms. Al-Udaini’s role as a journalist, you reduce her to a mere writer of “articles about the war in English advocating the Palestinian viewpoint.” This dismissal of her profession is both dehumanizing and unprofessional. She was a journalist, and she should be identified as such. I am shocked that this omission passed editorial review."
October 3, 2024
To:
Nidal al-Mughrabi, Reporter, Reuters
David Walmsley, Editor-in-Chief, The Globe and Mail
Sylvia Stead, Public Editor, The Globe and Mail
Sandra Martin, Standards Editor, The Globe and Mail
Howard Goller, Global News Desk Editor, Reuters
Brian Moss, Trust Principles, Reuters
Dear Mr. al-Mughrabi, Mr. Walmsley, Ms. Stead, Ms. Martin, Mr. Goller, and Mr. Moss,
I am writing to express my concern about the article, “Israeli air strikes kill at least 12 in Gaza; intensity of ground offensive subsides,” published by The Globe and Mail and Reuters on September 30, 2024. I find your reporting on Israel's military targeting of journalists selective and your framing of Gazan media and health authorities as “Hamas-run” misleading.
I take issue with your nut graph, which states: “Palestinian health officials said Wafa Al-Udaini, who wrote articles about the war in English advocating the Palestinian viewpoint, was killed when a missile struck her house in the central city of Deir Al-Balah, also killing her husband and their two children.”
This framing is problematic because it vaguely omits Israel as the responsible party and is written in the passive voice. While your headline identifies Israel as the perpetrator, this should be equally clear throughout the article. Furthermore, killing a journalist is a war crime under international law. It is deeply concerning that The Globe and Mail and Reuters report the death of another journalist in such a manner.
Journalists serve as watchdogs, holding states and institutions accountable for unjust actions and violations of international humanitarian law. However, your report appears to normalize Israel's targeting of a journalist. Instead of clearly acknowledging Ms. Al-Udaini’s role as a journalist, you reduce her to a mere writer of “articles about the war in English advocating the Palestinian viewpoint.” This dismissal of her profession is both dehumanizing and unprofessional. She was a journalist, and she should be identified as such. I am shocked that this omission passed editorial review.
I urge you to correct this oversight. The paragraph should read: “Palestinian journalist Wafa Al-Udaini was killed by an Israeli airstrike on her house, alongside her husband and their two children, in the central city of Deir Al-Balah, according to Palestinian health officials.”
Additionally, I take issue with the phrasing in your fourth paragraph: “Udaini’s death raised the number of Palestinian journalists killed in the Israeli offensive since October 7 to 174, the Hamas-run Gaza government media office said.”
By implying ambiguity around the documented deaths of Palestinian journalists, your reference to “Hamas-run” media as a source is blatant editorializing. This form of anti-Palestinian bias is chilling to see in mainstream publications. According to the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA), this type of framing qualifies as Anti-Palestinian Racism. By labeling Gazan media sources as “Hamas-run,” you delegitimize the Palestinian narrative and cast doubt on the credibility of these institutions.
Moreover, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) , which is a credible, independent organization that advocates for the rights of journalists international, has documented that at least 116 journalists and media workers were among the more than 42,000 killed in Gaza. While this number may be lower than your report, it is verifiable, and I recommend you update your article with their attribution and numbers. I’d also argue this raises serious questions about your claim that the numbers provided by Gaza's health officials are unreliable.
This is also a blatant double-standard that CJPME actively monitors. As a Media Analyst, I notice that Media outlets routinely specify Israeli casualties yet remain vague about Palestinian deaths. For example, later in your article, you state: “Most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million has been displaced by the war, in which more than 41,500 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities, “without labeling them as “Hamas-run.” The same standard should apply to media reports on Gaza. Such loaded language has no place in your reporting and should be corrected by removing this editorialization.
I ask you to consider these points and to revise your reporting accordingly.
I await your response.
Sincerely,
Anthony Issa
Media Analyst
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East