The reporter does not provide context related to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza until the very end of the article. Even so, it remains incredibly vague. There is no mention of the number of Palestinians who have been killed by Israel or the current conditions in Gaza. Considering Bushnell’s self-immolation was in staunch opposition to Israel’s genocide of Palestinians, this is essential information to incorporate.
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: Michael Balsamo: "US airman dies after setting himself ablaze outside Israeli Embassy in Israel-Hamas war protest."
Media Outlet: Toronto Star
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):
Popular Canadian media outlets often use wire services to inform readers about events that occur internationally or outside the outlet’s scope. While this article was originally published by the Associated Press, we are particularly disappointed by the Toronto Star’s decision to pick it up and publish it in its own newspaper. This article undermines a US service man's self-immolation by failing to convey his motivations accurately. Please take a moment to tell the Toronto Star that this type of reporting is unacceptable and offensive, and that you call for immediate edits.
- The article’s title states that his self-immolation in front of the Israeli embassy was in protest of the “Israel-Hamas war.” This ambiguous term completely misrepresents Bushnell’s clearly stated motivations for his protest. Before Bushnell lights himself on fire, he says, “I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all.”
- The article fails to include evidence that further contextualizes Bushnell’s motivations for his self-immolation, like his comments on Facebook: “Many of us like to ask ourselves, ‘What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?’ The answer is you’re doing it. Right now.”
- The reporter does not provide context related to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza until the very end of the article. Even so, it remains incredibly vague. There is no mention of the number of Palestinians who have been killed by Israel or the current conditions in Gaza. Considering Bushnell’s self-immolation was in staunch opposition to Israel’s genocide of Palestinians, this is essential information to incorporate.
Please click here to launch an email in which you can draft a response to this media coverage.
Thank you very much. Every response makes a difference.
The CJPME Media Centre Team
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