"Decolonization begins from within—by liberating our minds and language. I urge all journalists to confront this bias and explicitly name Israel for the atrocities it is committing against Palestinians in their reporting."
Re: “Public opinion has changed on Gaza — so why are so many leaders still stuck?”
Faisal Kutty writes that public opinion regarding Gaza has shifted, in part due to “the sheer scale and visibility of the devastation.” Definitely, Israel has been deliberately targeting medical facilities so that if Palestinians survive airstrikes, they die from the collapse of medical infrastructure. It has also been attacking educational institutions because the most powerful weapon any nation possesses is its conscious, educated youth—those who will ultimately rebuild and lead it.
We saw this truth manifested in the unprecedented university encampments that began at Columbia University last year—a mass uprising of the next generation rejecting their institutions’ complicity in Israel’s genocide against Palestinians.
Yet, I must raise the concern that the column reflects a troubling media trend: failing to explicitly name Israel as the perpetrator. For example, it states, “since October 2023, over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, the vast majority women and children.” However, more than 60,000 Palestinians were killed by Israel—not in a vacuum. This omission mirrors a broader pattern in mainstream media where Israel, as the perpetrator and occupying power, is erased. Even if unintentional, it dangerously shields Israel from accountability.
Decolonization begins from within—by liberating our minds and language. I urge all journalists to confront this bias and explicitly name Israel for the atrocities it is committing against Palestinians in their reporting.
Lynn Naji
Media Analyst at Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East