The Media Accountability Project  

"However, I take issue with the complete absence of any direct reference to Israel’s role in why the schools are closed. In a news report on September 2, you identify Hamas as the party responsible for the deaths of the hostages. Yet you fail to name the Israeli government as being directly responsible for the school closures and also provided minimal information as to the context for the school closures."

"This information hopefully makes clear why the presence of these groups serves not to bring safety to Jewish people but to intimidate and threaten advocates for Palestinian human rights. They should be identified instead as extremist vigilante organizations with far-right, anti-Palestinian ideologies."

With rising incidents of Islamophobia and a media landscape that often portrays Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims in a negative light, I strongly encourage you to take greater care in your future reporting. Western media consistently paints Palestinians as barbaric, framing them as inherently violent, while erasing Israel’s decades-long violent occupation, theft of Palestinian land, and the forced displacement of Palestinians. Starting the timeline on October 7, or omitting Israel’s brutal actions in Gaza since, represents selective framing.

Although I appreciated that the article included a diversity of concerns about the proposed expansion of the Colt weapons plant in Kitchener, sufficient background was lacking as to why several members of the public condemned the expansion at a council meeting Monday night. You give voice to Andrew Reeves, who mentions ‘implications overseas’ and the possibility of ‘Kitchener [being] complicit in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war’ without providing any background information.  

"The article correctly notes that the letter referred to the events of October 7 as a 'terrorist act.' However, it significantly downplays the language used by Capital Pride concerning Israel's actions in Gaza. The letter explicitly mentions the 'plausible risk of genocide,' being committed by Israel yet the article refers only to Israel's 'endless and brutal campaign in Gaza,' which is causing the deaths of "innocent Palestinians.'"

After months of silence, except in National NewsMedia cases where they were forced to reply, CJPME’s media advocacy efforts have visibly impacted the Toronto Sun and their newsroom. CJPME Media Analyst Anthony Issa sent a letter criticizing the Toronto Sun for biased and Islamophobic coverage by National politics reporter Bryan Passifiume. 

CJPME’s letter highlighted concerns over Passifiume’s article titled “Hillel urging universities to make campuses safe for Jews this September,” which was published on August 16, 2024. The article was criticized for its one-sided narrative, failure to include Palestinian voices, and for contributing to anti-Palestinian racism. 

But instead of engaging with these serious concerns, Passifiume decided to turn social media and tweet a picture of our numerous letters of complaint which he has turned into his personal art gallery in his home office. Passifiume presented these letters as a badge of honor. However, it’s clear that CJPME's advocacy is being read by the Toronto Sun and living rent-free in their minds (and homes!).

While this reaction was unexpected, it shows how necessary our work is. All that Passifiume has shown is that some journalists take pride in the substantive allegations of racism and false claims made against them.

While Toronto Sun journalists like Warren Kinsella and Brian Lilley have also taken to social media to intimidate CJPME and launch personal attacks against our staff, we will continue to fight against racism and for fair and honest media coverage of Palestine.

"In the final paragraph of the article, the statement refers to 'media reports' connecting a Quebec-based company to the sale of US$61-million in mortar munitions to the United States, which are said to be included in a planned arms transfer to Israel. However, it is important to note that this connection was not based on media reports, but rather on a press release issued by the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA). I believe the distinction is important to highlight but most importantly to correct as the DSCA's press release serves as an official governmental communication and carries far more weight than a general media report."

"From the very first sentence, Mr. Passifiume, you present your opinion as fact. For instance, referring to groups that advocate for Palestinian rights on campus as 'anti-Israeli extremists' is not only a baseless editorialization but also defamatory. Your labeling pressures and stigmatizes Palestinians and their allies, effectively framing them as terrorist sympathizers. This characterization is not only inaccurate and harmful but also a form of anti-Palestinian racism, as defined by the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association."

"Writing 'in retaliation' attributes responsibility to Hezbollah for the killing of 12 children in the Occupied Golan Heights. At the time of writing, this claim remains meaningfully disputed."

"While your article reported that the police could not say if the current hate incident was related to an Islamophobic or anti-Muslim hate incident earlier in the month, later in the article, you mention that the Palestinian solidarity encampment and  University staff were meeting with members of the Muslim community."