The Media Accountability Project  

"The framing of why the match drew protesters is problematic. You describe the pressure to boycott the game to be because of 'Israel’s invasion of Gaza in response to Hamas terrorism.' This is misleading. Israel's military invaded Gaza and then besieged the strip, and by omitting this context, you whitewash Israel’s genocidal actions against Palestinians in Gaza. Your sentence should read rather,'…Israel’s invasion and subsequent siege and genocide in Gaza.”

To make your article less one-sided, I ask you to add context about Gaza and the West Bank and add voices from the Pro-Palestinian protesters so that their intentions are clearly stated and not further mischaracterized.

"The dinner you reported about featured a conversation with actress Mayim Bialik who identifies as a Zionist – a supporter of the Israeli colonial project to establish a Jewish national home by ethnically cleansing Palestinians from their homeland. The demonstrators were protesting against funding Israel’s colonial project, making this incident a case of anti-zionism, not antisemitism. Conflating anti-zionism with antisemitism is misleading and does not accurately represent the motivations behind such protests."

"The lack of contextualization results in a one-sided narrative about the image used by the encampment. Your voices seem to conflate Palestinians and their supporters as terrorist sympathizers. There is a double standard at play here, as similar historical images featuring Israeli soldiers with guns would likely not be scrutinized in the same manner. I also believe this framing meets the standard legal definition of Anti-Palestinian Racism as defined by the Arab Canadians Lawyer Association. Anti-Palestinian racism dehumanizes Palestinians and their allies, slandering them as inherently antisemitic or as terrorist sympathizers."

"Bushnell’s statements echo his message incredibly clearly: “I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I am about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all.” He yells, “Free Palestine,” until he falls to the ground, overcome by the flames."

The reporter does not provide context related to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza until the very end of the article. Even so, it remains incredibly vague. There is no mention of the number of Palestinians who have been killed by Israel or the current conditions in Gaza. Considering Bushnell’s self-immolation was in staunch opposition to Israel’s genocide of Palestinians, this is essential information to incorporate.

"The Houthis have launched these attacks in staunch opposition to Israel’s military operations in Gaza, which have killed close to 30,000 people in four months, according to Al Jazeera. Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, a senior Houthi official, has repeatedly stated that their military operations against ships in the Red Sea will 'stop immediately and without conditions' when the 'aggression against Gaza stops and the siege is lifted'."

"Your coverage of Canadians who are completing hunger strikes to protest Israel’s brutal military campaign and the deliberate blocking of water, food, and fuel is much appreciated. Providing context, like Gaza’s history of food inaccessibility, as well as the mass displacement of the population and the destruction of essential infrastructure, conveys the catastrophic scale of starvation occurring in Gaza."

"This completely disregards the power imbalance between Israel and Palestine and the historical context that led to these attacks."

"This narrative framing is a long-time tactic used by the Israeli military to control the narrative surrounding attacks against Palestinians and Palestinian land. Your use of Israeli quotes further helps this tactic."