The Media Accountability Project  

"Neglecting this context minimizes the voices of Arab communities in North America. Unfortunately, this oversight, whether intentional or not, is part of a broader media trend in Canada including at the CBC. Canadian media is increasingly erasing Arab narratives and their impact on civil society in Canada and the US."

"I appreciate Mr. Assaly’s decision to also spotlight this incident amid coverage of other racist statements made by Tony Hinchcliffe at the rally. Rather than leaving his APR remarks unaddressed as well as the awful statement made by Rudy Giuliani ignored, Mr. Assaly took the time to thoroughly expose all of the harmful statements made that day."

CJPME Media Analyst Anthony Issa publishes a Rebuttal in The Hill Times Exposing Anti-Palestinian Racism and pinkwashing in Pride Coverage.

Mr. Issa’s letter was written in response to a recent op-ed that falsely accused pro-Palestinian protesters at Pride events of being antisemitic.

In his letter, Issa dismantles the claims that equate Palestinian solidarity with antisemitism, exposing the misuse of Pride to shield Israel’s apartheid policies from criticism.

The letter also emphasizes the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the importance of preserving the intersectionality of Pride, ensuring that all marginalized communities, including Palestinians, are embraced and protected.

CJPME remains dedicated to challenging anti-Palestinian racism in the media ensuring that platforms like The Hill Times provide a fair and accurate platform for diverse perspectives on Palestine.

CJPME’s advocacy efforts resulted in the publication of Media Analyst Anthony Issa’s letter to the editor in The Hamilton Spectator, addressing Elle Canada’s decision to remove MPP Sarah Jama from its list of trailblazing women due to her pro-Palestinian stance. 

Issa’s letter condemned the removal as an act of censorship and anti-Palestinian racism, drawing on the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association’s definition, which highlights the exclusion of Palestinian voices as a form of erasure.

The letter called for Elle Canada to reinstate Jama’s recognition and issue a public apology, warning that their actions set a dangerous precedent for Canadian media by disqualifying women who support Palestinian rights. Issa emphasized that this undermines journalistic integrity, especially at a time when Palestinians in Gaza are facing genocide.

This publication serves as a significant step in CJPME's ongoing campaign to push for accountability in Canadian media and to ensure that voices advocating for Palestinian rights are not silenced.

As journalists, we should be ashamed. Scrubbing an article because of Ms. Jama’s pro-Palestine stance because of backlash is the equivalent of unpublishing and censoring a story. This is a serious violation of journalistic standards and also an act of anti-Palestinian erasure. Excluding Palestinian perspectives and those of their allies is an explicit form of anti-Palestinian racism, according to the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association.

"Winnipeg is home to a significant Palestinian population, yet their voices are entirely absent from your report. I’m sure Mr. Chang could have interviewed members of the Arab community, specifically the Palestinian community, or even pro-Palestinian advocacy groups in Winnipeg. The Arab community of Winnipeg should also be central to your story. By failing to include these voices, the article marginalizes an already vulnerable community."

"The territory comprises pre-1967 Israel, the occupied West Bank, the occupied Gaza Strip, and illegally annexed East Jerusalem, as well as communities within pre-1967 that consider themselves Palestinian, as you can read in Foreign Affairs. To describe that as “Israel” alone is a provocative denial of Palestinian existence and dismissal of international law."

"While it is true for you to write, as you do in this story, that “Hamas’s deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel claimed the lives of roughly 1,400 people,” the omission of the more than three-times-larger Palestinian fatality count is unjustifiable."

"In all these recent articles mentioned, Tonda MacCharles omits to mention Palestinian casualties, although she mentions Israeli casualties. Failure to include this information clearly shows the one-sidedness of your reporting, which is a breach of your journalistic obligations."

"Vous écrivez le nombre de morts israéliens avec les mots suivants : « près de 1400 Israéliens ont perdu la vie dans ces massacres » sauf que vous ne présentez aucune donnée du côté palestinien alors que le point central de votre article est Gaza."