"Whether inadvertent or on purpose, closing the segment in this way further serves to legitimize Israel’s actions - yet Israel has derailed the U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations that were actively underway at the time of their military action against Iran, killed Ali Shamkhani, a senior Iranian official tasked with overseeing the negotiations, and interrupted the ongoing dialogue and verification being undertaken by the IAEA with Iran."
June 18, 2025
To the CBC Radio One newsroom,
I’m writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to express concerns regarding a news segment aired today, on Wednesday June 18, 2025 at 6:01AM on CBC Radio One 91.5FM (CBYG).
At 6:02:12, the segment refers to “what Israel describes as a preemptive strike against Iran's nuclear capabilities” without mentioning that there is no concrete evidence that Iran was on the verge of launching an attack. On the contrary, U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations were actively underway at the time of the strikes; and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has emphasized its support for diplomacy and verification and has not confirmed the existence of a present nuclear weapons program in Iran. In presenting only Israel’s view of a highly contested description of events, the account is unbalanced, and legitimizes Israel’s escalatory military action without criticism.
At 6:02:16, the segment provides a quote from Michael Oren, who is specifically described as “a former Israeli ambassador to Washington”. In contrast, at 6:02:50, Renad Mansour is described more vaguely as a “regional expert”, and his view “that democracy and better development doesn't come through weapons and military solutions” is essentially shut down by the correspondent’s closing statement, that “there is little obvious sign, however, of a diplomatic solution anywhere in sight”.
Whether inadvertent or on purpose, closing the segment in this way further serves to legitimize Israel’s actions - yet Israel has derailed the U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations that were actively underway at the time of their military action against Iran, killed Ali Shamkhani, a senior Iranian official tasked with overseeing the negotiations, and interrupted the ongoing dialogue and verification being undertaken by the IAEA with Iran.
In future coverage, I kindly urge your newsroom to provide fair and balanced coverage, in accordance with CBC’s journalistic standards and practices.
Sincerely,
Alison Jenkins