The Media Accountability Project  

Encampment a “caliphate right in the heart of Canada” according to Toronto Sun

The encampment is described in a reductive and offensive manner. Warmington refers to the students encamping as “occupiers,” and uses the words: “border crossing,” “fence,” and “control border-point gate.” Given that the students are also demanding the end of Israel's occupation of Palestinian land, this description is deeply demeaning to student protesters standing up for human rights.

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: Warmington: "Like the Middle East, Toronto’s ‘Little Gaza’ is separated by fence"

Media Outlet: Toronto Sun
Click here to access the piece online. 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):
Ever since October 7, anti-Palestinian racism has been on the rise, and the media is actively playing a part in it. Since encampments demanding universities to end their complicity with Israel’s genocide have started to spread all over North American campuses, incomplete and biased articles have followed suit.

While we usually take issue with Toronto Sun and Warmington for their inflammatory columns, Warmington’s present article about U of T’s encampment is particularly inflammatory as it is not only outright racist but is identified as "news" on the Sun's website. Marking opinion articles as "news" violates basic journalistic ethics.

  • Warmington writes that U of T’s encampment is a “caliphate right in the heart of Canada itself.”
  • Warmington claims that the encampment is antisemitic because of a “From the river to the sea” sign, a reductive and unfair complaint based on a popular slogan.
  • The encampment is described in a reductive and offensive manner. Warmington refers to the students encamping as “occupiers,” and uses the words: “border crossing,” “fence,” and “control border-point gate.” Given that the students are also demanding the end of Israel's occupation of Palestinian land, this description is deeply demeaning to student protesters standing up for human rights.

Since we've included the email for submitting letters to the editor, you may consider writing your letter such that it could be published in the letters section. Toronto Sun asks for letters of 250 words or less.

Please click here to launch an email in which you can draft a response to this media coverage. If this link does not work for you, simply open an email in your email program, address it to [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] , and draft and send your email.

If you have any problems, please email [email protected].

Thank you very much. Every response makes a difference.

The CJPME Media Centre Team
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