"Independent Jewish Voices (IJV), which is quoted late in the article, rightly describes the backlash against Orr as a disingenuous smear campaign. Yet this crucial framing is buried under paragraphs of uncritical propagation of CIJA's narrative with statements from Mayor Ken Sim, CIJA, and the Federation being prominently featured. This creates an imbalanced and distorted portrayal of the issue that violates journalistic principles of fairness and diversity of voices."
April 10, 2025
To: CityNews Editorial Team
Dear Editors,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) to express concern about your April 9 article, “Sean Orr lambasted over social media comments described as ‘antisemitic.’” While the piece does include Sean Orr’s recent clarification that the tweet in question was satirical and anti-racist, your coverage still fails the basic test of fairness and journalistic responsibility.
The article repeats bad-faith allegations of antisemitism made by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver. These are allegations rooted in a deliberate misrepresentation of a 2021 tweet which fail to scrutinize the political motivations behind these claims.
Your piece quotes Orr as saying:
“In 2021, I sarcastically quoted the comedian David Cross while condemning an antisemitic dogwhistle on Twitter. I was defending Karm Sumal against the claim he was a ‘globalist shill.’ I have been outspoken over the years opposing all forms of racism including anti-semitism.”
However, nowhere in the article do you link to or embed the original Twitter thread, which can be viewed here. This thread makes it abundantly clear that the post was a joke directed against antisemitism. Not an expression of it.
This exclusion denies your audience the opportunity to view the post in its original context, the article invites confusion and lends undue weight to the politically motivated claims of CIJA and the Federation. Readers should be trusted with the full picture, not shielded from it.
Moreover, the article presents CIJA’s and the Federation’s statements without any critical lens, despite their long-documented history of weaponizing accusations of antisemitism to silence critics of Israel. This is a core aspect of what experts have identified as anti-Palestinian racism where the practice of defaming Palestinian allies as inherently antisemitic in order to suppress dissent. Independent Jewish Voices (IJV), which is quoted late in the article, rightly describes the backlash against Orr as a disingenuous smear campaign. Yet this crucial framing is buried under paragraphs of uncritical propagation of CIJA's narrative with statements from Mayor Ken Sim, CIJA, and the Federation being prominently featured. This creates an imbalanced and distorted portrayal of the issue that violates journalistic principles of fairness and diversity of voices.
I urge CityNews to include the original tweet thread so readers can judge for themselves, apply greater editorial skepticism to politically motivated accusations and update your coverage for fairness and accuracy.
Sincerely,
Anthony Issa
Media Analyst
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East