On December 18, 2024, media analyst Lynn Naji wrote to The Globe and Mail regarding their headline, which read: "Mediators intensify Israel-Hamas ceasefire efforts; medics say strikes kill at least 20 Palestinians." The airstrikes in question were conducted by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), yet the headline removed the onus from Israel, absolving it of accountability for the deaths of at least 20 Palestinians in occupied Gaza.
Journalistic integrity and fairness, as outlined by the Canadian Association of Journalists, demand that the responsible party be clearly identified, especially when documenting acts of genocide. CJPME questioned why the article itself assigned responsibility to Israel while the headline did not. CJPME asked theGlobe and Mail to correct their headline to ensure that Israel is held accountable for the killing of over 20 Palestinians.
The next day, The Globe and Mail amended their headline to correctly state: "Israeli strikes kill at least 20 Palestinians as mediators intensify Gaza ceasefire efforts."
This is an important step toward ensuring that headlines in western media do not absolve Israel of its war crimes and crimes against humanity, and that they hold Israel fully accountable for its genocidal campaign in occupied Gaza.
At CJPME, we remain committed to challenging the media regarding their one-sided and unfair coverage of Palestine.