The Media Accountability Project  

As your article highlights, Meera (like many other Palestinians) was accepted into a Canadian university, only to have her semester deferred three times because of Israel’s closure of the Rafah crossing that made it impossible for her to complete biometrics and, in turn, meet Canadian immigration requirements.

We feel that it is really important to be clear and not downplay the horrors that are unfolding or the level of criminality in what Isreal is doing. For this reason, I would urge you to change the word “hundreds” to “thousands”.

To be clear, I am not asking you to take sides in your reporting on Palestine and Israel but rather to provide reporting that includes new and significant developments in both Canadian and United Nations positions. I appreciate your consideration and look forward to your responses to my questions and request.

"This is not a minor stylistic issue—it’s a matter of journalistic integrity. Passive language sanitizes Israel’s violations, from apartheid and illegal settlements to its obstruction of aid amid famine. The article itself reports on Israel’s far-right minister explicitly stating that the settlements aim to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state,” yet the headline downplays this aggression."

"Decolonization begins from within—by liberating our minds and language. I urge all journalists to confront this bias and explicitly name Israel for the atrocities it is committing against Palestinians in their reporting."

"Israel has waged a nearly 22-month-long military siege on the Gaza Strip. Yet the article presents these claims as unchallenged fact, despite extensive documentation from international human rights organizations (including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, UN bodies, and now two Israeli human rights groups) which have concluded that Israel’s actions in Gaza amount to genocide."

"A project close to my heart has been raising awareness about the difference between Palestinian prisoners and detainees, and the need for media outlets to provide essential context on Israel’s abhorrent policy of administrative detention."

"I kindly request that the article be amended to raise skepticism around Israel’s supposed military goals and statements in response to committing war crimes. By repeating Israeli talking points, your reporting risks whitewashing Israel’s war crime of indiscriminately bombing Palestinian civilians and places of worship in occupied Gaza."

"Failing to do so falsely portrays Palestinian suffering as occurring in a vacuum, rather than as the genocidal result of Israel’s ongoing bombing of its so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation scheme that was designed to further humiliate Palestinians of their inherent right as human beings to food, medicine, and other essential needs of life."

On June 9, 2025, Radio-Canada published an article by Agence France-Presse (AFP) covering the Israeli navy’s interception of the Madleen, a humanitarian boat headed to Gaza providing aid to starving Palestinians. While the article described the mission and Israel’s brutal siege on Gaza, it included a misleading line suggesting that Israel no longer occupies Gaza following its 2005 withdrawal of settlers and troops.

CJPME media analyst Anthony Issa submitted a formal media accountability letter highlighting that this claim was factually incorrect. Under international law, Gaza continues to be considered occupied territory due to Israel’s comprehensive control over its borders, airspace, maritime access, and population registry.

As a result of this intervention, Radio-Canada issued a correction and clarification, adding an explanatory paragraph that accurately reflects the legal status of Gaza as an occupied territory under international law.

Below is the correction in English:
“In 2024, in an advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice declared Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories illegal, while ruling that the Gaza Strip was still considered occupied territory.” - Radio-Canada, June 19, 2025

This is a substantive editorial change that aligns with CJPME’s call for accurate, balanced, and legally grounded reporting on Israel’s illegal occupation of Gaza.

This correction by Radio-Canada also sends a message to other mainstream Canadian newsrooms. As CJPME has long argued in conversations with CBC News, including former Managing Editor Nancy Waugh, Gaza remains occupied territory under international law, regardless of Israeli government claims. With Israeli forces once again operating on the ground in Gaza and the blockade intensifying, the legal and moral clarity on this issue has never been more urgent. We hope the CBC will follow Radio-Canada’s example by accurately acknowledging the ongoing occupation of Gaza in its reporting.

Le 9 juin 2025, Radio-Canada a publié un article de l'Agence France-Presse (AFP) décrivant l'interception du Madleen par la marine israélienne, un navire humanitaire transportant de l'aide pour les Palestiniens souffrant de la famine à Gaza. Bien que l'article décrivait la mission et le siège brutal imposé à Gaza, il contenait une affirmation fausse impliquant qu'Israël n'avait pas occupé la bande de Gaza depuis le retrait de ses colons et de ses troupes en 2005.

Anthony Issa, analyste des médias pour CJPME, a soumis une lettre expliquant que cette allégation était fausse. En vertu du droit international, Gaza continue d'être considérée comme un territoire occupé en raison du contrôle presque total exercé par Israël sur ses frontières, son espace aérien, son accès maritime et son registre de population.

Suite à cette intervention, Radio-Canada a publié une correction et une clarification, en ajoutant un paragraphe explicatif qui reflète précisément le statut juridique de Gaza en tant que territoire occupé en vertu du droit international.

Voici la correction publiée par Radio-Canada :
« En 2024, dans un avis consultatif, la Cour internationale de justice a déclaré illégale l’occupation des territoires palestiniens par Israël, tout en estimant que la bande de Gaza était toujours considérée comme étant un territoire occupé. »

Ils ont également publié cet précision explicatif :

«Précision - Le 19 juin 2025, nous avons modifié l’article pour mentionner un avis consultatif de la Cour internationale de justice. »

Il s'agit d'un changement éditorial important qui répond aux demandes de CJPMO pour une présentation médiatique rigoureuse et balancée, basée sur les droits internationaux, qui souligne l'occupation illégale de la bande de Gaza par Israël.

La correction de Radio-Canada envoie également un signal clair aux autres salles de rédaction canadiennes. Comme CJPMO l'a déclaré à plusieurs reprises lors d'échanges avec CBC News, y compris avec l'ancienne rédactrice en chef Nancy Waugh, Gaza reste un territoire occupé en vertu du droit international, quelles que soient les affirmations du gouvernement israélien. Alors que les forces israéliennes opèrent à nouveau sur le terrain à Gaza et que le blocus s'intensifie, il est plus urgent que jamais d'apporter une clarté juridique et morale à cette réalité. Nous espérons que CBC suivra l'exemple de Radio-Canada en reconnaissant explicitement l'occupation illégale de la bande de Gaza par Israël.
dans ses reportages.