"Yet your article fails to report any of this context, instead focusing solely on Israeli fears while legitimizing unlawful and escalatory military action. This reflects a deeply imbalanced narrative and enables the erosion of international norms prohibiting attacks on civilian nuclear infrastructure."
June 16, 2025
Dear Global TV newsroom,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) to express serious concern regarding your recent coverage of statements made by Israel’s ambassador to Canada, in which he urged G7 leaders to coordinate pressure on Iran amid escalating hostilities between the two countries. The segment in question was aired on June 16, 2025, at 06:17 am.
Your report fails to meet basic journalistic standards of balance, verification, and context. Instead, the story solely platforms Israeli government claims without adequate scrutiny, contributing to a misleading and potentially inflammatory narrative.
Most prominently, the article presents as fact the ambassador’s claim that Israel faces a “double existential threat” from Iran and that it was “forced to act.” Such rhetoric, made by an active belligerent party, must be clearly identified as opinion and not fact. The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) requires journalists to “distinguish between assertions and facts” and to “verify all facts.” Failing to contextualize or challenge such claims is not only a violation of this standard but risks inflaming public opinion based on partial and unsubstantiated information.
Your report also repeats Israeli allegations that Iran is progressing towards developing nuclear weapons, without referencing the actual assessments of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). This is a major exclusion by your newsroom's reporting.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has clearly stated that while there are concerns about past undeclared nuclear activities prior to the early 2000s, the Agency continues to monitor Iran’s nuclear program, which remains under safeguards. The IAEA has emphasized its support for diplomacy and verification and has not confirmed the existence of a present nuclear weapons program in Iran.
More alarmingly, your newsroom failed to highlight that Israel has recently conducted military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, including Natanz, causing internal contamination and damage to enrichment infrastructure. As Director General Grossi informed the UN Security Council, these attacks violate longstanding IAEA and UN resolutions, including GC(XXIX)/RES/444 and GC(XXXIV)/RES/533, which affirm that any armed attack on nuclear facilities “constitutes a violation of international law and the principles of the United Nations Charter.” The Director General called for maximum restraint, warning that such attacks risk “grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region, and beyond.”
Yet your article fails to report any of this context, instead focusing solely on Israeli fears while legitimizing unlawful and escalatory military action. This reflects a deeply imbalanced narrative and enables the erosion of international norms prohibiting attacks on civilian nuclear infrastructure.
Furthermore, the segment's lack of sourcing from Palestinian, Iranian, or independent international human rights organizations illustrates a pattern of single viewpoint reporting, further entrenching a one-sided Israeli narrative.
Israeli airstrikes in the past few days have targeted the capital city of Tehran and at least five other Iranian cities, with strikes on nuclear infrastructure as well as residential buildings. AP reporting states that 224 Iranians have been killed since Israel’s attack began Friday. Over 1,277 Iranians have also been hospitalized and over 90 per cent of the casualties are civilians.
While Israel has claimed that this was a “pre-emptive” strike in self-defence, it was in fact an illegal use of force in violation of Article 2(4) of the UN Charter – the crime of aggression. Iran has promised to respond with military force, launching armed drones towards Israel.
I urge your newsroom to review your editorial practices and correct your reporting on the escalations between the two countries. I insist that future coverage includes balanced sourcing, critical context, and the perspectives of those most affected by the violence, particularly Iranian civilians.
Sincerely,
Anthony Issa
Media Analyst
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)