Join us in writing to the Values and Ethics Commissioner for CBC/Radio-Canada, Sherry Perreault, to express serious concerns about apparent ethics violations by Neil Herland.
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Title of Piece: Neil Herland (@NEWSneil) on X: "Protesters trying to taunt and intimidate me."
Media Outlet: CBC journalist posting on X
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Join us in writing to the Values and Ethics Commissioner for CBC/Radio-Canada, Sherry Perreault, to express serious concerns about apparent ethics violations by Neil Herland.
Background
Neil Herland is a CBC National Radio News Reader, which he includes in his bio on X. On September 21, Herland posted on X that he is "a journalist," and 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.
The reality is that Herland was telling a demonstrable lie to defame pro-Palestine activists.
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."
In fact, Herland was on his way to the Meridian Arts Centre, not a synogogue, to see Mark Regev. Regev was not merely a teacher and former Israeli ambassador, but 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 and alarming statements. Journalist Samira Mohyeddin also shared a thread showing 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 Regev's speech had very little to do with peace, contrary to what Herland claimed.
Ethics violations
The CBC Code of Conduct stipulates that:
- Employees must conduct themselves in a manner that "promotes and maintains trust, reflects our professionalism, takes into account the possible impacts of our actions and can bear public scrutiny." We believe Herland fell short, as he lied about there being protesters at a synagogue, when in fact he was attending a ticketed political event at a public performing arts centre to see a former Israeli official — one known for genocide denial and unwavering support of Israel — speak.
- Employees must avoid "perceived conflicts of interest" that "can affect others’ trust in the person involved or in CBC/Radio-Canada." By Herland fundamentally misrepresenting the context, as well ask Regev's resume and character, he opens himself up to the perception that his personal interests might impact his impartiality or independence.
- Employees must "ensure we act in a way that reflects CBC/Radio-Canada’s policies and values" on social media, nor should posts "compromise CBC/Radio-Canada's integrity, independence or impartiality." We believe Herland's posts significantly undermine CBC's reputation and perceived impartiality.
- Employees must respect CBC restrictions on political activity, which include, "attending a partisan political event... except as required in the performance of CBC/Radio-Canada duties." It appears that Herland was attending this political event in a personal capacity.
Additionally, CBC's Social Media Guidance states: "We respect your right to share your views on issues you are passionate about, as long as you aren’t going against the spirit of the Code of Conduct or your professional responsibility. Simply put, don’t engage in activity that could compromise your ability to do your job." We believe that Herland's activities have violated the Social Media Guidance and impact his ability to do his job going forward.
Aggravating the above ethics violations was the fact that Herland introduced himself as a "journalist" before disseminating his deeply distorted and harmful narrative. In doing so he exploited his position and association with CBC in order to give more credibility to his claims. This preface is likely to have been a significant factor in why his posts were widely shared by political observers, including outside of Canada.
Journalists are also expected to follow the CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices (JSP) when they post on social media. By misrepresenting the context of the event and obscuring Regev's identity and role as a former senior Israeli government official and spokesperson, Herland fell far short of the standards of fairness and accuracy. Given the context in which these errors occurred, this is not only an editorial issue, but one that deeply impacts CBC's reputation and deserves serious examination by the Values and Ethics Commissioner.
It is also concerning that Herland didn't previously recuse himself from reporting on Israel and Palestine, given that he has revealed his profound bias on the subject. He has repeatedly hosted interviews for CBC on the subject, here and here are examples.
CBC's Neil Herland should be held accountable.
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The CJPME Media Centre Team
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