The Media Accountability Project  

A recent article from The Breach details the suppression of Palestinian voices at CTV, and this segment is further evidence of the rampant bias. CTV is systematically downplaying the humanitarian crisis faced by Palestinians and making efforts to diminish the notion of a Palestinian identity altogether.

The segment focuses entirely on an Israeli perspective of what these reforms mean, completely overlooking how Palestinians are going to be impacted. This is crucial context that should have been included in your segment to provide viewers with the whole an essential aspect of the judicial reforms.

On July 3, 2023, CJPME’s Vice President Michael Bueckert was interviewed for a segment on CTV National News about Israel’s attack on Jenin. Earlier that day, Israel launched airstrikes, a military invasion, and a siege on the Jenin refugee camp. By the end of the invasion late on July 5, at least 12 Palestinians were killed, including 4 children, and 140 injured.

Bueckert told CTV National News that Israel was escalating its violence against the Palestinian people, and was quoted: “There are signs that, perhaps, Israel’s government — which is led by a coalition of far-right political parties — is really looking to ratchet things up.”

However, the segment inaccurately said that CJPME was calling for “calm.” In the interview, Bueckert explained that this was not a situation in which both sides were equally to blame for the violence. Rather, CJPME was calling for Israel as the occupying power to deescalate its illegal and unprovoked assault on refugees in Jenin. This point did not make it into the broadcast.

CJPME’s @mbueckert spoke to CTV National News about how Israel’s far-right regime is escalating its violence against Palestinians. We are not calling for a neutral ‘calm,’ but for Israel as the occupying power to deescalate its illegal & unprovoked assault on refugees in Jenin. pic.twitter.com/W0dnzqzaiC

— Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (@CJPME) July 4, 2023

It was refreshing to see that you included commentary from UN officials including former Special Rapporteur Michael Lynk regarding the gravity of the Israeli military’s actions, and the important context of Israeli illegal settlement expansion as a root cause of violence. In addition, the inclusion of statistics such as the number of casualties and injured among the Palestinian civilians is essential, as it allows your audience to better grasp the human cost of the Israeli military’s assault on Jenin.