On June 19, 2024, CJPME wrote a letter to CityNews Montreal alerting them about their article on the McGill encampment which omitted important context on the image used for SPHR’s Youth Summer Program.
Following CJPME’s complaint about how their reporting on the image was biased and omitted important context on its original source, CityNews Montreal’s masthead updated the article the following morning. The article was drastically changed to include added context on the youth program itself and added clarity on the image used by SPHR Concordia.
The changes included the much-needed perspective of pro-Palestine students who were interviewed at the encampment and the goals of the Summer Youth Program. The article clarifies that the program teaches “’the history of Palestinian resistance,’ ‘Pan-Arabism,’ ‘Present-day Resistance,’ and other topics.”
Initially, the article described the image used by SPHR as depicting “a handful of people reading books with firearms present,” suggesting it “evoked violence.” CJPME criticized this portrayal for lacking context and perpetuating a one-sided narrative that conflated Palestinians and their supporters with terrorism, a clear double standard and a form of anti-Palestinian racism.
Following our complaint, CityNews Staff clarified that the image in question was originally taken in 1970, showing fighters with the Palestine Liberation Organization reading copies of Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung in Jordan. The fighters are depicted holding books and assault rifles. The updated article includes a quote from an SPHR spokesperson explaining that the photo was used to reclaim “Palestinian narratives that have been either deliberately destroyed in their physical sense but also as narratives that have been pushed to the side.”
These revisions significantly improve the article, providing much-needed context and depth to the story.
While the article is significantly improved, CityNews Montreal still frames the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) inaccurately. The article claims they are “Jewish leaders” yet never mentions that they are a pro-Israel advocacy organization and that they should not be conflated with all Jewish voices or perspectives in Canada. CJPME is disappointed that CityNews Montreal continues to frame CIJA as Jewish organization but not a pro-Israel advocacy organization.
CJPME is committed to challenging one-sided and harmful portrayals of peaceful protesters in Canada’s media. Nevertheless, we welcome and commend CityNews Montreal for their updated reporting.