"This kind of framing is not neutral. It echoes Israeli talking points without scrutiny and risks justifying unlawful acts of aggression under the guise of self-defense. But worse yet, this language violates basic journalistic standards. If CHCH wants to present Israel’s attacks as “preemptive” despite the ample evidence to the contrary, it must do so with clear attribution. There is no attribution in your report. The notion that the strike was “preemptive” is stated as a fact."
June 17, 2025
To the CHCH Inside Edition newsroom,
I am contacting you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East regarding your recent news segment that aired on Monday June 16 at 19:38:08.
The segment states that “Israel launched its pre-emptive strike on Iran last week.”
In international law, a preemptive strike refers specifically to an act of self-defense in response to an imminent and clearly established threat—one that is about to materialize within moments or hours. To date, Israel has produced no concrete evidence that Iran was on the verge of launching an attack. In fact, the US made public that there are no signs Iran is seeking to build a nuclear weapon, although they are now walking back those claims.
The Israeli government has instead referenced Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile and alleged intent to develop nuclear weapons. However, there is no credible indication that an Iranian attack was imminent. To frame Israel’s actions then as “pre-emptive” normalizes an unprovoked Israeli act of aggression, and falsely frames it as lawful self-defence.
This kind of framing is not neutral. It echoes Israeli talking points without scrutiny and risks justifying unlawful acts of aggression under the guise of self-defense. But worse yet, this language violates basic journalistic standards. If CHCH wants to present Israel’s attacks as “preemptive” despite the ample evidence to the contrary, it must do so with clear attribution. There is no attribution in your report. The notion that the strike was “preemptive” is stated as a fact.
We believe this is an error that merits on-air correction.
Lynn Naji
Media analyst at Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East