The Media Accountability Project  

The coverage is overwhelmingly centered on the Israeli perspective, with extensive reporting on Israeli hostages and their families while omitting mention of the thousands of Palestinian detainees, including children, held in Israeli prisons—many without charge or trial. This one-sided approach fails to provide viewers with a full and balanced picture of the hostage-detainee exchanges. Palestinian hostages deserve coverage equal to that given to Israeli hostages.

"Given this context, these detainees are not conventional prisoners and it’s better to describe them as hostages. This distinction is critical, as it challenges the implicit narrative that Palestinians in Israeli prisons have all been convicted of criminal offenses, when in reality, many are held without charge or trial. Reframing their status as hostages better reflects the power dynamics at play and highlights the broader context of occupation and human rights violations by Israel."

"Le manque flagrant de contexte et d’équilibre dans votre reportage est une violation manifeste de principes journalistiques. En omettant de mentionner le génocide israélien en cours à Gaza—qui a fait plus de 50 000 morts palestiniens, causé une famine et vu Israël poursuivre ses bombardements malgré les appels au cessez-le-feu—votre émission participe à la désinformation et à la déshumanisation des Palestiniens."

"This type of framing aligns with problematic Orientalist tropes that depict Palestinians as irrational and violent while humanizing Israelis. This use of misleading and decontextualized b-roll footage distorts the reality on the ground and reinforces stereotypes."

"During the segment there was a locked off shot of a small area in Gaza with civilians circulating but no mention of the illegal siege, starvation or Palestinian babies freezing to death. This is also an important part of the story, if one is interested in the Palestinian perspective."

"I was also disappointed that the news report failed to include any Palestinian voices or perspectives.. Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza have been directly impcted in every aspect of their lives as a result of the 15-month long genocide in Gaza. You can’t declare that you are presenting a balanced report on the ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire agreement if there is no opportunity for a Palestinian to express their opinion."

"Therefore, the use of terms like “terrorist hostages” to describe these detainees is deeply offensive and misleading, given that many are arrested for acts of political resistance or for no discernible reason beyond their identity. It is why readers deserve an explanation of why Smotrich’s language is racist and deflects criticism of Israeli apartheid. The Toronto Star needs to provide readers with this context."