"During the segment there was a locked off shot of a small area in Gaza with civilians circulating but no mention of the illegal siege, starvation or Palestinian babies freezing to death. This is also an important part of the story, if one is interested in the Palestinian perspective."
January 14, 2025
To the CBC newsroom.
I am writing to you regarding the segment with Saša Petricic reporting from Jerusalem about the ceasefire negotiations broadcast on CBC NN LIVE during the morning of January 14, 2025. This segment was anchored by Heather Hiscox.
I write again with concern regarding the lack of balance, fairness and impartiality in this segment. The CBC’s focus in this segment, and also ones later in the morning are overwhelmingly focused on an Israeli perspective. The Palestinian side of the negotiations is half the story, but their critical perspective is treated as a footnote.
The first segment which aired around 9:12 AM was approximately 3 minutes and 22 seconds long. Of that time the Israeli hostages (between 32 and 34) were talked about at length, both by Mr. Petricic and again at the end of the segment by Ms. Hiscock.
The Palestinian “prisoners” to be released were mentioned once briefly and there were 190 to 200 of them.
According to human rights organizations, Israel’s dual legal system constitutes apartheid, as it enforces separate and unequal treatment based on nationality and ethnicity. Under this system, Palestinians, including children, are often detained without charge or trial under administrative detention orders. As of December 1, 2024, Israeli authorities held 2,873 Palestinians in administrative detention, marking a three-decade high. Amnesty International has documented the systematic use of torture and degrading treatment of Palestinian detainees, including beatings, stress positions, and denial of medical care, all of which violate international law.
The simple fact that there are thousands of Palestinians being illegally held in Israeli prisons under brutal conditions, including torture, demands that their part of the story get more time in the segment, not less.
During the segment there was a locked off shot of a small area in Gaza with civilians circulating but no mention of the illegal siege, starvation or Palestinian babies freezing to death. This is also an important part of the story, if one is interested in the Palestinian perspective.
In a later report with Mr. Petricic and Ms. Hiscox the focus is again on the Israeli and US perspective almost entirely. About half the story is about Netanyahu’s stratagems and the alleged US pressure on him to accept a deal.
What about Hamas' considerations and pressures as scores of Palestinians continue to be killed by Israel each and every day while they try to survive in Gaza?
Was there any effort made to get a perspective from Hamas or a Palestinian representative?
There are two sides to this story, as you mention in both the segments, so why is the CBC focusing on one side and letting it dominate the report and leaving out the crucial other side? This is incredibly irresponsible and frankly, poor journalism.
Thanks for reading,
Jeff Winch