"As a public broadcaster, CityNews has a responsibility to provide fair, accurate, and comprehensive reporting. For future coverage, I demand that you include detailed accounts of the devastating impacts these raids have on Palestinian civilians. You must also provide balanced reporting that critically examines claims made by the Israeli military and include Palestinian voices."
January 22, 2025
Dear CityNews Tonight Winnipeg newsroom,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) to express my deep concern about the coverage of Israeli military actions in the West Bank aired on CityNews Tonight Winnipeg on Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 6:51 am. Specifically, I take issue with the segment where you discuss how “Israeli troops are already shifting focus to launch operations in the occupied West Bank.”
The broadcast failed to provide essential context about the impact on Palestinian civilians and communities by Israel’s siege on Jenin and raids in the West Bank.
The segment overlooked the challenges faced by emergency services and civilians, such as restricted access for ambulances, disruptions to water supplies, and the broader impact on families and neighborhoods. The broadcast failed to mention the UN’s estimate that at least 2,000 families have been forcibly displaced in Jenin during these brutal raids. There was no acknowledgement of the destruction of infrastructure, including homes and public spaces, caused by the Israeli raids. Additionally, the segment uncritically repeated the Israeli military’s narrative of a “counterterrorism operation” without questioning its proportionality or compliance with international law. To be clear, this is a siege on the Jenin camp.
The broadcast also neglected to include reports of rising settler violence, such as attacks on Palestinians near Hebron, which have escalated alongside military operations. Also, the segment entirely excluded Palestinian perspectives and whitewashes Israel's actions without scrutiny.
As a public broadcaster, CityNews has a responsibility to provide fair, accurate, and comprehensive reporting. For future coverage, I demand that you include detailed accounts of the devastating impacts these raids have on Palestinian civilians. You must also provide balanced reporting that critically examines claims made by the Israeli military and include Palestinian voices.
I trust that you will take these concerns seriously. Failure to address these concerns may prompt a formal complaint to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC).
Anthony Issa
Media Analyst
CJPME