The obvious cases of racism in this article cross the line, even if it had been published initially as opinion. Please draft an email addressed to Warmington and the editor at Toronto Sun telling them that this kind of anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab reporting is a racist breach of standards.
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: Joe Warmington: “When protestors appear to wear suicide vests, it’s a problem”
Media Outlet: Toronto Sun
Click here to access the piece on-line. If the article is behind a media paywall, click here to view the article in .pdf format.
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 and feel free to change the email subject):
This article, mislabeled as news (it is clearly opinion), claims that a protestor wearing a belt to hold legal colored smoke canisters was wearing a “mock suicide vest.” Toronto Sun has repeatedly published clear cases of opinion under “news” despite our best efforts at reproaching them for this journalistic malpractice. The obvious cases of racism in this article cross the line, even if it had been published initially as opinion. Please draft an email addressed to Warmington and the editor at Toronto Sun telling them that this kind of anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab reporting is a racist breach of standards.
- Most pressingly, the article contains several examples of anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism. The fact that far-right journalists are claiming that a presumably Arab protestor wearing a keffiyeh and a utility belt for colorful smoke grenades is “cosplaying as a suicide bomber” only demonstrates their racism and their tendency to associate Palestinians, Arabs, or pro-Palestine protestors with terrorism. In the very title, Warmington states that a protestor “appears” to be “wearing a suicide vest.” Well, he's not. Fueled by his racist prejudgments, Warmington has written an article based entirely on a fabricated story to smear pro-Palestine demonstrators.
- Labeling this article as news is a complete violation of commonly accepted journalistic standards. It is riddled with Warmington’s own racist views that are unacceptable under any classification news or opinion.
- Warmington states throughout his article that regardless of whether the belt is holding smoke canisters or intended to portray a suicide vest, it “should not be tolerated on the streets of Toronto.” Products that release colorful smoke are not illegal if the user is over 18 years of age and are commonly used outside the context of protests, like for gender reveal parties. Tolerating smoke canisters in some cases but opposing them when they are being used by pro-Palestine demonstrators is a clear case of anti-Palestinian racism and prejudice.
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The CJPME Media Centre Team
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