"Mr. Dhaliwal’s article inadvertently highlights the effectiveness of MAP’s work. He directly copies and pastes quotes from our media alert into his piece, proving that Rebel News is paying attention to our efforts whether their team admits it or not."
To:
Ezra Levant, Founder, Rebel News
Alex Dhaliwal, Columnist, Rebel News
Dear Rebel News masthead,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) to correct some of the misleading claims in Mr. Dhaliwal’s recent article about the Media Accountability Project’s role in pressuring CBC to clarify its editorial stance on Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Mr. Dhaliwal claims that CBC anchor Natasha Fatah was “targeted” for declining to use the term genocide. This is false. Fatah wasn’t pressured to use the term—she actively dismissed and belittled a Palestinian-Canadian guest who was grieving the loss of her brother, killed by an Israeli missile early in the genocide. The issue was never about forcing language on CBC but about exposing its editorial choices that erase and dehumanize Palestinian perspectives. Instead of acknowledging the guest’s pain, the host deflected with generic questions about “optimism,” avoiding an honest conversation.
Ironically, Mr. Dhaliwal’s article inadvertently highlights the effectiveness of MAP’s work. He directly copies and pastes quotes from our media alert into his piece, proving that Rebel News is paying attention to our efforts whether your team admits it or not. And we do appreciate the recognition of our success in pushing CBC toward greater accountability.
While we’re on the topic of corrections, since Rebel News seems a bit out of the loop—Jack Nagler has retired as CBC’s Ombudsman. His replacement, Maxime Bertrand, has been in the role for nearly a month. A simple fact-check would have saved you from this mistake.
Once again, I appreciate Mr. Dhaliwal for championing our grassroots efforts. Thanks for the free press.
Sincerely,
Anthony Issa
Media Analyst
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East