"The article reports that 'at least 7,015 people have been killed' in Iran’s protest crackdown, citing the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), while acknowledging that the AP has been unable to independently verify the toll. While HRANA’s work may be valuable, the figure is presented in a manner that risks conveying a level of certainty that does not exist."
Dear Mr. Federman and the CTV editorial newsroom,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East to express concern regarding your article, “Iran temporarily closed the Strait of Hormuz as it held latest round of indirect talks with U.S.,” published February 17, 2026.
First, your article repeatedly refers to Iran’s “disputed nuclear program.” However, there is no comparable contextualization regarding Israel’s widely acknowledged but undeclared nuclear arsenal. Israel is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and does not permit full IAEA safeguards on key nuclear activities, yet this reality is absent from the discussion. Your article gives a misleading picture of nuclear tensions in the region. Journalistic accuracy requires sufficient context to prevent readers from drawing distorted conclusions.
Second, the article states: “Israel’s launch of a 12-day war against Iran back in June halted the talks. The U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sites during that war…” The reporting then focuses on the strategic and military impact of those strikes but makes no reference to civilian casualties or humanitarian consequences resulting from those attacks. It is your journalistic responsibility to acknowledge the human cost and the serious legal concerns raised under international law.
Third, the article reports that “at least 7,015 people have been killed” in Iran’s protest crackdown, citing the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), while acknowledging that the AP has been unable to independently verify the toll. While HRANA’s work may be valuable, the figure is presented in a manner that risks conveying a level of certainty that does not exist.
Other credible bodies, including Amnesty International and the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran, have explicitly noted that casualty figures remain contested and unverifiable due to censorship and communications blackouts. In a January 23 statement, the Special Rapporteur noted that the state’s own figure exceeds 3,000 deaths, while civil society estimates vary widely and cannot presently be verified. In another statement the Special Rapporteur made on twitter, she noted the following: "(...)we do not know how many people are detained, where they are held, or in what condition. We do not know how many have been sentenced to death or already executed. We do not even know how many people have been killed: the State’s own figure stands at over 3,000, while reports by civil society organisations far exceed that number."
Presenting a precise death toll without clearly foregrounding the contested nature of these figures risks undermining the journalistic standard of distinguishing between verified fact and assertion.
The CAJ’s ethics guidelines stress the importance of careful verification, contextualization, and clearly distinguishing between confirmed information and claims made under conditions of limited access. In a highly volatile regional context, precision and balance are particularly critical.
I respectfully urge the Associated Press to:
1. Provide fuller regional context when discussing nuclear issues, including Israel’s nuclear posture.
2. Acknowledge humanitarian and legal concerns when reporting on military strikes against nuclear facilities.
3. More clearly contextualize and qualify contested casualty figures where independent verification is not possible.
Thank you for your attention to these concerns. I look forward to your response.
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Media Analyst
