In the Ombudsman’s view, using the phrase “Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry” is almost always unnecessary, unless a story is specifically related to the relationship between Hamas and its health officials.
Dear CBC Radio One editorial team,
I am writing to express my concerns regarding a recent news segments aired on CBC Radio One Victoria 90.5 (CBCV-FM) (Wednesday, August 19, 2026, 06:05:27), in which the reporter uses language that has already been flagged by the CBC Ombudsman Jack Nagler as problematic.
In a segment about Israel investigating themselves, the news anchor states:
“Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says 73,000 people have been killed since the war began, including more than 1000 under the UN broke US brokered ceasefire that took effect last October.”
As has been pointed out previously, Hamas is synonymous with terrorism in CBC’s media framing of this conflict. As such, the addition of the “Hamas-run” or “Hamas-led” qualifier is inherently pejorative in intent. By associating the civilian suffering with Hamas, it effectively diverts sympathy away from those people killed and injured, and helps demonize and dehumanize Palestinians.
In the Ombudsman’s view, using the phrase “Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry” is almost always unnecessary, unless a story is specifically related to the relationship between Hamas and its health officials.
I would encourage you to use it as sparingly as possible, and only when relevant to the story at hand, as per your own internal review.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Nikki Mutch
Media Advocate
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East