The article fails to give the broader reality of colonization for Palestinians, mentioning only the issue of freedom of movement re Gaza. It is much more than that, as Palestinians are slowly dispossessed of their land while settlements and settler activities are increasing in the West Bank.
Poor coverage - Media outlet to be critiqued
A CJPME Media Researcher has launched a media alert for the following article. Please submit a quick response to the media, even if it’s just a sentence or two:
Title of Piece: Candace Maracle: "While some Indigenous people rally for Palestinians, others say itʼs not a struggle against colonialism"
Media Outlet: CBC - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Click here to access the piece on-line
Comments of the CJPME Media Researcher:
(Note: Please do not copy and paste the material below as the content to your message to the media - put all comments in your own words):
Please help us challenge this unbalanced and unconvincing CBC article by Candace Maracle, which tries to question the parallels drawn between Palestinians and Indigenous People.
- While the article suggests that there is broad controversy about the parallels between the Indigenous experience and Israel's colonial oppression of Palestinians, the whole article only cites one individual who disagrees. The article also fails to cite several well-known recent developments on this file:
- The article should have mentioned a petition signed by 132 Indigenous activists, artists and intellectuals released on Oct. 27. The petition highlighted the “apartheid” and “settler-colonial” nature of Israel’s oppression of Palestinians
- The article could have cited material mentioned in a Toronto Star earlier this month which highlighted how Indigenous advocates across North America were “expressing solidarity and finding common ground with the Palestinian community.”
- The article could have cited the case of Wanda Nanibush, curator of Indigenous art at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Toronto for seven years, who was dismissed from her role because of her support for Palestinian rights and liberation.
- The article fails to give the broader reality of colonization for Palestinians, mentioning only the issue of freedom of movement re Gaza. It is much more than that, as Palestinians are slowly dispossessed of their land while settlements and settler activities are increasing in the West Bank. The article failed to explain how the realities on the ground in Palestine parallel situations faced by Indigenous people here.
- The whole article is dependent on one person who disagrees with the parallels, a Mr. Chris Sankey. Sankey refused to be interviewed for the article, and thus is unchallenged about several unlikely assertions he makes in a separate op-ed. The journalists role is not to simply repeat flimsy arguments, but to verify whether the position is valid. Journalist Maracle fails to do this.
- Overall, the article gives excessive importance to Chris Sankey, a "former elected band councillor and businessman" who doesn't seem to have any specific credentials on the topic. CBC also doesn't bother to mention that Sankey’s prior column was published in a right-wing media outlet known for its anti-Palestinian stance, National Post.
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The CJPME Media Centre Team
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