The Media Accountability Project  

"I strongly urge you to address these oversights in your reporting and clarify that the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg is a pro-Israel organization. Without such context, your reporting can unintentionally contribute to biased narratives."

"A September 20, 2024, Al-Jazeera report found that since October 7, Hezbollah and its allies attacked Israel 1,901 times, whereas Israel attacked Lebanon in the same period 8,313 times. This is a massive discrepancy that one would imagine merits mention in Brown’s article."

"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday’s attack was in response to the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah, and IRGC commander Abbas Nilforoushan last week in Beirut, as well as the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July. This context is essential for your readers to understand the motivations behind Iran's retaliation, and I urge you to include it."

"These kinds of exclusions when repeated become dehumanizing, as the implicit message is that Palestinian and Lebanese civilians who are victims of Israeli attacks don’t matter and can be ignored. Meanwhile, Israeli deaths are more deserving of coverage, needing more focus and emotional weight."

The article omits critical information, reflecting a troubling pattern in Canadian media that prioritizes Israeli narratives while downplaying or obscuring the realities faced by Palestinians and Lebanese people. By stating that “at least two Canadians have died in the escalating violence in Lebanon,” the article fails to acknowledge the unmistakable fact that these tragic deaths were the direct result of an Israeli airstrike on Ghaziyeh, a village in southern Lebanon. The use of passive voice misguides readers into believing these deaths occurred in a vacuum. This omission is not merely a stylistic choice; it is a significant distortion of the facts that undermines journalistic integrity.

"Yes, Hezbollah retaliates, but let’s not pretend Israel is the sole victim or that the state’s actions are somehow justified or remotely proportionate. Israel’s advanced military unleashes large-scale destruction on Lebanon while also violating international law without care. Hezbollah’s capabilities, while destructive, pale in comparison."

"Given the vague and ambiguous coverage of this specific story, with many media outlets using the passive voice "two Canadians killed" without assigning responsibility to Israel, let CBC lead the way in responsible journalism by explicitly naming Israel as the responsible party in the headline."

The obvious and indisputable reality is that students were attending a Grassy Narrows protest, and as is common at indigenous rallies in Canada, chants were made in solidarity with Palestinians. To state that students were brought to an “anti-Israel” protest is false, sensationalist, and a violation of basic journalistic standards of accuracy according to the Canadian Association of Journalists. You are writing not as a columnist, but as a journalist, and it is necessary to correct this mistake in order to meet the standards to which you are tied.

The chart below is taken from the September 18, 2024 UNOCHA update on the situation in Gaza. As you can clearly see, distinctions are clearly made between 4 categories, where the majority of Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israel are women, children, and the elderly. As such, the assertion that the “ministry of health does not distinguish between combatants and civilians” gives the misleading impression that the death toll is primarily composed of combatants, when in fact the majority are civilians.

"Second, referring to Israel’s presence in the occupied West Bank as “disputed” is factually incorrect, legally unfounded, and undermines Palestinians' legitimate indigenous claim to their land. All settlements and outposts are considered illegal under international law based on the Fourth Geneva Convention which specifies that the transfer of an occupier’s population into the territory it occupies is prohibited. To maintain journalistic accuracy, I urge you to describe Israel’s presence in the West Bank as 'occupied' rather than 'disputed.'"