CTV News Ottawa’s reporting lacks any context or balance and is exceptionally unfair to pro-Palestine demonstrators. Even the headline gives a negative impression of the protest. This article is a prime example of the problems with Canadian coverage of demonstrations supporting Palestine.
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: William Eltherington: "Ottawa police hate crime unit investigating chants made at pro-Palestinian rally Saturday"
Media Outlet: CTV News Ottawa
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):
Corporate media and politicians in Canada have made themselves busy hyper-focusing on a few phrases chanted by one unnamed individual at a pro-Palestine demonstration in Ottawa. Rather than talk about what protesters are challenging (genocide), the narrative is about a hate speech investigation and portrays all protesters as antisemitic.
CTV News Ottawa’s reporting lacks any context or balance and is exceptionally unfair to pro-Palestine demonstrators. Even the headline gives a negative impression of the protest. This article is a prime example of the problems with Canadian coverage of demonstrations supporting Palestine.
- The most information readers are given about this protest is that it was a weekly “pro-Palestinian march.” No information about Israel’s apartheid policies, genocide, or anything else that might be informative.
- Not a single protester or Palestine advocate is cited. All of the quotes are from politicians condemning protesters.
- A misleading paragraph is included about Iran’s attack on Israel, but there is no mention of Israel’s unprecedented attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria. Not only does this article not give any context about the genocide, but when it does give context about Iran, it is unfair.
- Context about protests at Columbia University is included but is extremely misleading. Despite these protests including many Jewish students and even featuring Shabbat meals, the journalist ambiguously claims that they have “received criticism from Jewish students who say the protests veered into antisemitism.” This framing lacks any neutrality, fairness, or balance.
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The CJPME Media Centre Team
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