The article glorifies the “joint Israeli-US opening salvo” against the Islamic Republic, while failing to mention the mounting death toll from the U.S./Israeli bombing. In particular, there is no reference to the airstrike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' elementary school in Minab that killed approximately 165 people, most of them girls, despite it occurring during the opening and illegal assault. By omitting this verified atrocity, the article fails to provide accurate, balanced information to readers.
Dear Rob Roberts, Brent Jolly, and Cara Sabatini,
I’m writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME, https://www.cjpme.org) to express concerns about the article titled “New Iranian supreme leader said to have been lightly wounded in war” published today by the National Post, which is written by the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS).
Firstly, the article glorifies the “joint Israeli-US opening salvo” against the Islamic Republic, while failing to mention the mounting death toll from the U.S./Israeli bombing. In particular, there is no reference to the airstrike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' elementary school in Minab that killed approximately 165 people, most of them girls, despite it occurring during the opening and illegal assault. By omitting this verified atrocity, the article fails to provide accurate, balanced information to readers.
Further, National Post fails to state that the content provider, JNS, is dedicated to provide readers with pro-Israel coverage. The National NewsMedia Council (NNC) recognized that JNS explicitly states on their website that they are dedicated to providing readers with pro-Israel coverage, and recommended that the National Post should append the article with a brief description of the source of the content, so that the pro-Israel perspective of the article is clear. (See NNC decisions 2023-111 Toney v National Post and 2025-13 Toney v National Post).
If the National Post refuses to follow the recommendations of the NNC, I request that the Council personnel included in this communication advise on how accountability might be implemented in this scenario.
I would also request that the National Post please share where they publish Decisions of the NNC, as I cannot find them on your website. It is my understanding that relevant Decisions must be published by members in accordance with their membership agreement.
I kindly urge the National Post, in the words of NNC and in line with the above NNC guidance, “to provide more information about the stated perspective and approach of the content provider, [so that] readers would be able to assess the information in context”.
Sincerely,
Alison Jenkins