National Post normalizes Israel's crimes against humanity
The National Post published an article from the Jewish News Syndicate wire service rife with propaganda that whitewashes Israel’s genocidal campaign in the occupied Gaza Strip and West Bank.
Read moreMisleading lang. in article ab/ Iron Wall Operation in occupied West Bank
"There are fears from local authorities in Jenin that what is happening in Jenin and the rest of the West Bank is part of a much bigger plan to annex the Occupied West Bank. Global News should clarify their report that Israel has shown no clear evidence that it is “targeting terrorist infrastructure” in Jenin."
Read moreCBC News changes headline after CJPME advocacy efforts
On January 30, 2025, CJPME media analyst sent a letter of complaint to CBC News regarding their article, originally sourced from Reuters, which describes Israel’s release of Palestinian “detainees” as “prisoners.” Following CJPME’s advocacy efforts, CBC News adjusted its headline to more accurately reflect the legal status of Palestinians held in Israeli detention cells, referring to them as “detainees.” It is important to note however that While CBC changed their headline, Reuters did not.
Altough this small revision appears at the onset to be a a minor linguistic issue, this inconsistency from the CBC and Reuters reinforces the inaccurate narrative that all Palestinians in Israeli custody are convicted criminals.In reality, many are being arbitrarily detained, often without due process, which means they cannot be considered “prisoners” according to the normal definition.
Why does this distinction matter?
Many Palestinians in Israeli custody are held under administrative detention, a practice that violates international human rights law—specifically, Article 9(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), a legally binding UN treaty ratified by Israel in 1991:
Article 9(1): “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedures as are established by law.”
Administrative detention allows Israeli authorities to detain Palestinians indefinitely without charge or trial, based on secret evidence not disclosed to the detainee or their lawyer. According to Amnesty International:
“Israel has systematically used administrative detention as a tool to persecute Palestinians, rather than as an extraordinary and selectively used preventative measure.”
This means that many Palestinian detainees are not prisoners in the conventional sense.
While CBC’s headline change is a positive step, inconsistencies remain, as the article still alternates between “detainees” and “prisoners.”
Nevertheless, this remains an important step, highlighting CJPME’s role in holding CBC accountable for using precise and consistent language that upholds journalistic standards and accurately represents Israel’s detention practices.
Palestinians are "detained" by Israel, they are not "prisoners"
"It is as if Reuters is randomly choosing which term to use each time. This inconsistency is not a minor linguistic issue—it reinforces the inaccurate narrative that all Palestinians in Israeli custody are convicted criminals, when in reality, many are held without charge or trial and cannot be considered “prisoners” according to the normal definition."
Read morePalestinian territories are illegally "occupied" - not "captured" by Israel !
The use of “captured” vs “occupied” misleads readers into thinking that Israel has a legitimate claim to Palestinian territories, rather than acknowledging its illegal occupation. Palestinians are the indigenous peoples of Palestine – and media outlets should not be complicit in enabling the kind of language that softens Israel’s illegal colonization of Palestinian land.
Read moreThank you + misleading framing of Honest Reporting Canada
"HRC is far from neutral. Journalists who report factually on Israel—or anyone critical of Israel’s ongoing genocide in the occupied Gaza Strip, its apartheid policies, settler violence in the occupied West Bank, or raids on Palestinian territories—are often targeted by HRC’s intimidation tactics and smear campaigns."
Read morePalestinian territories are illegally "occupied" - not "captured" by Israel !
"The usage of “captured” vs occupied misleads readers into thinking that Israel has a strong claim to, or ownership of, Palestinian territories – which is blatantly not the case. Palestinians are the indigenous peoples of this land – and media outlets should not be complicit in enabling the kind of language that normalizes Israel’s illegal ongoing colonization process."
Read morePalestinians are not the instigators of violence in the occupied West Bank !
"Would you refer to it as a “war” if Russia was doing this to a largely defenceless Ukraine? I don’t think so. In fact world humanitarian groups are now referring to the situation in Gaza as a genocide. This is no longer debateable to anyone but Israeli apologists. I strongly urge you to refer to this carnage as a genocide from now on."
Read moreMisleading language in Netanyahu's trial analysis article
"Given that countless experts have “accused” Israel of genocide over the last year, this framing lumps Amnesty’s findings into that pile of accusations. Amnesty’s findings are exceptional, they are a firm conclusion that Israel is committing genocide."
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