On October 7, 2024, CJPME sent a letter to The Globe and Mail and Canadian Press (CP) to address concerns about the misleading language used in the CP article titled: “Events, protests to be held across Canada to mark one year since Oct. 7 attacks, Israel-Hamas war.”
In the article, the journalist referred to Israel’s year-long campaign of genocide as a “counter-offensive.” CJPME argued that labeling Israel’s genocidal actions as a “counter-offensive” is not just misleading; it is an egregious euphemism that journalists should avoid, especially since the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the world’s highest court, has indicated that Israel's actions could plausibly constitute genocide.
In the first edit of the article, the phrasing was changed to “the attack triggered a retaliatory Israeli offensive.” In a subsequent revision, CP altered the entire paragraph, stating that the events triggered a “region-wide conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, as well as Iran and other allies.”
These changes represent a step forward in our advocacy efforts to hold outlets accountable and emphasize the importance of accurate reporting and pushing the narrative on the escalations in the region to a higher standard.