"In his thread, Herland said he was going to see a 'guest speaker at the Toronto synagogue tonight,' and said the speaker 'was an Australian-born university teacher who lives in Israel and once served as Israeli ambassador to the UK.' He noted that the speaker's 'speech was about making peace in the Middle East.' The truth is that Herland was on his way to the Meridian Arts Centre, which is visible in the video he shared, to see Mark Regev. Regev was not merely an Israeli ambassador, he also served in multiple high-ranking positions in the Israeli government, including as the Prime Minister's Senior Advisor for Foreign Affairs and International Communications and the International Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office."
I am writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) to file a formal complaint concerning public posts made on X by CBC National Radio News Reader Neil Herland on September 21, 2026.
Mr. Herland posted on X that he "was met by [pro-Palestine] protesters trying to taunt and intimidate [him] from entering [a synagogue service in Toronto]." He shared an accompanying video of Palestine solidarity protesters.
This narrative was fundamentally misleading to an extent that it appears to be deliberate, resulting in disinformation that defames pro-Palestinian activists
Mr. Herland starts his thread by saying “I’m a journalist” and then obscuring the truth of a situation. Mr. Herland’s biography explicitly identifies him as a CBC National Radio News Reader. His twitter thread is a personal account of his perspective on these protests and claiming them as antisemitic without attribution, sourcing or fact-based reporting. This does not qualify as professional journalism. These posts raise serious concerns under CBC’s Journalistic Standards and Practices (JSP).
In his thread, Herland said he was going to see a "guest speaker at the Toronto synagogue tonight," and said the speaker "was an Australian-born university teacher who lives in Israel and once served as Israeli ambassador to the UK." He noted that the speaker's "speech was about making peace in the Middle East."
The truth is that Herland was on his way to the Meridian Arts Centre, which is visible in the video he shared, to see Mark Regev. Regev was not merely an Israeli ambassador, he also served in multiple high-ranking positions in the Israeli government, including as the Prime Minister's Senior Advisor for Foreign Affairs and International Communications and the International Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office.
Regev is a vociferous genocide supporter. Just Peace Advocates and Writers Against the War on Gaza (WAWOG) launched a campaign to have Regev barred from entering Canada for his atrocious track record. Journalist Samira Mohyeddin also shared a thread including many of Regev's most disturbing comments and beliefs. Regev calls the genocide in Gaza, as well as the illegal aggressions against Lebanon and Iran, “victories.”
According to the event website, tickets to the event cost $180 and gave the opportunity to hear Regev explain "what's really happening in Israel." Based on his record, it's safe to assume that this speech had very little to do with peace.
In addition, on the standard of live reporting when it comes to Riots and Demonstrations, the JSP states that the information provided must be accurate and that reporting should avoid inflaming or aiding in any way the various sides in a confrontation.
Mr. Herland clearly violates these practices.
People were protesting Regev whose public record includes denying Israel's role in the Gaza GHF flour massacre and claimed that Palestinian detainees were being stripped down because of the hot weather.
Other controversies surrounding Mark Regev are his vocal opposition to the Palestinian right of return, downplaying the Nakba, and also being charged with advocacy for genocide by indigenous activists in Australia after defending Israel's decision to lay a complete siege over Gaza in October 2023.
Mr. Herland omitted this context from his X thread.
CBC’s JSP on Use of Social Media and Conflict of Interest states that journalists must refrain from expressing personal opinions on controversial subjects, including politics, on any account that identifies or associates them with CBC/Radio-Canada.
It is clear to CJPME that Mr. Herland was aiding the pro-Israel side of these demonstrations defending Mark Regev’s presence, while smearing these pro-Palestine protesters as antisemitic for their criticisms of Regev’s awful record on Palestinian human rights.
Given these clear breaches of the Journalistic Standards and Practices, CJPME demands that the CBC Ombud initiate a formal review into Mr. Herland’s conduct.
Specifically, we ask that the CBC require that Mr. Herland be directed to delete the thread, issue a formal retraction regarding his false characterization of the event, and abide strictly by the CBC’s social media guidelines in all future public communications.
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Media Analyst
