On March 26, CJPME learned that the Globe and Mail had finally made the edits requested on their landing page for the “Israel-Hamas War.” Before CJPME’s complaints, the description of the “Israel-Hamas War” on the Globe and Mail’s landing page read:
On Oct. 7 a surprise attack by militant group Hamas left around 1,200 Israelis dead, and hundreds were taken hostage. Israel responded with air strikes and a ground campaign in the Gaza Strip that has killed thousands.
As written in CJPME’s letter to the outlet, reciting the precise death toll for those killed in Israel but opting for “thousands” to describe the Palestinian death toll is blatantly disrespectful. The Standards Editor at The Globe emphasized that the descriptive copy at the top of topic pages cannot be updated frequently and is written in such a way as to allow it to remain static. She did, however, agree to update the number of casualties exceptionally. The description now reads:
On Oct. 7 a surprise attack by militant group Hamas left around 1,200 Israelis dead, and hundreds were taken hostage. Israel responded with air strikes and a ground campaign in the Gaza Strip that has killed tens of thousands.
While this is not the edit we hoped for, we recognize The Globe’s inability to keep the number of casualties updated and appreciate their willingness to concede to our demands