Article should include Iran's motivations behind its missile attacks on Israel

"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday’s attack was in response to the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah, and IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan last week in Beirut, as well as the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July. This context is essential for your readers to understand the motivations behind Iran's retaliation, and I urge you to include it."


Octobre 4, 2024

To:

Laura Osman, Journalist, Canadian Press

Paul Moore, Sr Manager, Journalistic Standards, CBC News

Nancy Waugh, Managing Editor, CBC News

Brodie Fenlon, News Editor in Chief, CBC News

Dear Ms. Osman, Mr. Moore, Ms. Waugh, Mr. Fenlon

I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) to express serious concerns about the Canadian Press article published on Oct. 7 by CBC News titled, “Israel has the right to defend itself but wider war must be avoided: Trudeau.”

First, I take issue that you write that “Iran launched some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel and warned of a ‘harsher’ attack if Israel responds in kind,” without mentioning why Iran retaliated which leads to a one-sided narrative. This omission also represents a double standard, as Israel’s attacks are almost always framed as retaliatory, whereas other actors in the region are consistently framed as aggressors.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday’s attack was in response to the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah, and IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan last week in Beirut, as well as the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July. This context is essential for your readers to understand the motivations behind Iran's retaliation, and I urge you to include it.

Second, while you mention that “1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage in Israel” from Hamas’ October 7th attack, you fail to report the death toll of Palestinians resulting from Israel’s one-year genocide in the occupied Gaza Strip or in Lebanon since Israel’s September 23 attack that killed about 600. This omission represents a blatant double-standard. It is crucial to include the Palestinian death toll, which stands at  41,788 people, including nearly 16,500 children, along with more than 96,794 injuries and over 10,000 individuals reported missing. 

I demand the CBC revise the article to include the number of Palestinian killed in this conflict as expected of your Journalistic standards of fairness and impartiality, as laid out in the CBC’s Journalistic Standards and Practices.

I hope you consider these points seriously for current and future reporting on this sensitive issue.

I await your response.