The Media Accountability Project  

"I took exception to the section of the article that discussed Hamas and  the UNRWA. Claims and statements were made in that section without citing any of the evidence that has disproved many of them."

"Please understand that my concerns are rooted in a good-faith effort to hold Canadian media accountable for their coverage of Israel’s genocide in occupied Palestine and to raise awareness about harmful stereotypes that dehumanize Palestinians."

"Il est inexact de décrire le CIJA uniquement comme une organisation de défense des droits des Juifs, sans mentionner son rôle de groupe de lobbyiste pro-israélien. Cette présentation erronée risque de confondre les vues du CIJA avec celles de tous les Canadiens juifs, alors qu’en réalité, il existe une diversité d'opinions au sein de la communauté juive. Le Journal de Montréal devrait clarifier le double rôle du CIJA pour offrir aux lecteurs une compréhension plus précise de sa position."

"Highlighting the ICJ’s ruling is crucial for readers to understand that Israel has not been waging a “counter-offensive” in Gaza after Hamas’ October 7^th attacks; it has been committing genocide for the past year. Gaza right now is on the brink of collapse, with Israel ordering evacuation orders, bombing hospitals, imposing a siege and blockade."

In conclusion, while I have been critical of your reporting, my aim is constructive and in good faith. I understand that The Concordian is run by student journalists, and I recognize the pressure that pro-Israeli organizations can exert on students to report in a one-sided manner. My aim of this letter is to also extend an olive branch and inform your newsroom that the CJPME Media Accountability Project (MAP) team works hard to support student journalists in reporting fairly on Palestine. 

"I believe referring to October 7 as an “anniversary” is problematic. This is something that CJPME MAP staff have also been debating internally as the term “anniversary” almost frames the events of Oct. 7 as celebratory. I believe for both sides of this conflict, anniversary here seems highly inappropriate given the sensitivity of the date. I would recommend the Gazette, as well as other media outlets and Canadian civil society at large, to rethink the term."

"It is very clear that CTV News has closed itself off from having meaningful dialogue with its readers. Considering this lack of responsiveness and accountability, I am curious whether there is a more useful contact at CTV News. If so, please pass it on. Otherwise, I would appreciate a direct confirmation that CTV News is not interested in engaging with constructive feedback or improving its reporting practices."

"I consider your use of the expression 'drumbeat of…' in the sentence, 'Air strikes in recent days have brought a constant drumbeat of deaths of Palestinians…' to be extremely insensitive and offensive. Despite how Palestinians are frequently dehumanized in popular depictions, their deaths are not mechanical inevitabilities, but individual tragedies. A look at other 'drumbeat of…' examples from Merriam-Webster demonstrate how insensitive your chosen language is. And I would suggest replacing the word 'constant drumbeat of deaths,' with 'tragic' or 'unfortunate' or 'sad.' Use of these other terms will more accurately capture the atmosphere among the survivors after 60 lives were so needlessly extinguished."

"While you note that “the army rarely comments on individual strikes, which often kill women and children,” the article’s framing minimizes Israel's ground offensive targeting the Al-Awda school. It fails to critically analyze the validity of the statements by the Israeli military. By not questioning Israel’s assertions, and failing to provide any competing interpretation, the article ends up rationalizing the IDF's attacks, downplaying Israel’s responsibility for reckless targeting in highly populated areas and overlooking the broader and systematic nature of Israel’s assaults in Gaza."

"I was disappointed with the AP article “Air strike kills 25 in southern Gaza as Israeli assault on Gaza City shuts down medical facilities” published on the Globe and Mail’s website on July 9, 2024. This article failed to meet basic journalism standards. Errors in content or context mislead the readers and the AP article had two errors in word selection: one of omission and the other of addition."