Thank you + constructive feedback on CBC headline

"The most important weapon any nation possesses is its conscious, educated youth—those who will ultimately rebuild and lead it. We saw this reflected in the unprecedented university encampments that began at Columbia University in New York City last year—a mass uprising of the next generation rejecting their universities’ complicity with Israel’s genocide against Palestinians — and sending a clear message to their administrations: you do not dictate who lives and who doesn’t."

May 22, 2025

To the CBC team,

I am writing to thank you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East for publishing Yasmine Hassan's recent article titled: “In war-torn Gaza, students strive to study and professors are compelled to teach.”

The article gave voice to Palestinian university professor Ahmed Junina and his student Aseel Alwan, a senior at Al-Aqsa University in northern occupied Gaza who is studying English literature. Yasmine sheds light on the brutal reality of living under Israeli occupation — how Israel has bombed every university in occupied Gaza, forcing Palestinian students to evacuate multiple times and making it nearly impossible to continue their studies online.

The video also featured Aseel, who powerfully stated that “education is a strong tool and weapon against Israeli occupation.” She’s absolutely right. The most important weapon any nation possesses is its conscious, educated youth—those who will ultimately rebuild and lead it. We saw this reflected in the unprecedented university encampments that began at Columbia University in New York City last year—a mass uprising of the next generation rejecting their universities’ complicity with Israel’s genocide against Palestinians — and sending a clear message to their administrations: you do not dictate who lives and who doesn’t.

I want to thank CBC for using its platform to shed light on Israel’s deliberate targeting of educational institutions. By now, it’s clear that Israel is not merely destroying Palestinian infrastructure—it is attacking the very foundation of Palestinian society and its future with the broader intention of ethnically cleansing Palestinians.

That said, I do want to mention that in relation to the article, my critique is that the headline uses passive language – “in war-torn Gaza” failing to mention that it is Israel, the perpetrator and occupying power responsible for waging an ongoing “war”, or what Amnesty Interntaitonal has labeled as Israel’s “genocide” against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip.

This is not a nameless war.

Please change your headline accordingly and rightly attribute responsibility to Israel, the occupying power.

I understand that in previous correspondence with Basem Boshra, the CBC has maintained that omitting Israel from headlines does not breach journalistic standards. However, I must raise a clear and troubling double standard.

In coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia is explicitly named as the aggressor. Consider the following examples published by the CBC:

In contrast, when reporting on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories—and at times, Lebanon—CBC headlines often adopt passive language, deliberately omitting Israel as the perpetrator:

The double standard is glaring and deeply troubling.

I remind the CBC that my concerns arise from a principled commitment to holding the media accountable in their reporting on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories—and to exposing harmful narratives that continue to dehumanize Palestinians and Arabs.

While I recognize that Yasmine Hassan’s reporting stands out for its balance and accuracy, and that CBC covers better than many other outlets, there remains a need for more fair and consistent reporting.

I await your response.

Warm regards,

Lynn Naji

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