The Media Accountability Project  

"For accuracy and transparency, I urge you to revise your terminology in future coverage of the investigation, referring instead to "the war on Gaza." An on-air correction is also warranted to address the impact of this misrepresentation on your audience, particularly Montreal's Arab and Jewish communities."

"Please correct your inaccurate claim by referring to future broadcasts of this investigation in the context of  “Israel’s war on Gaza” and not the overly passive term “conflict in the Middle East.” I also believe that this deserves an on-air-correction as this framing is insulting to the many Arab-Canadians and Jewish-Canadians impacted by the war who live in Montreal and listen in to your broadcast daily."

"Your headline is not an accurate summation of the article. In fact, it will skew the reader's interpretation to believe that Hamas is behind the lawlessness in Gaza, not Israel. We can’t know if the looting etc. is caused by a weakened Hamas or not - this is only speculation at this point."

"The claim that the Ministry of Health "does not distinguish between combatants and civilians" is misleading and gives the impression that most Palestinians killed by Israel are combatants when, in fact, the overwhelming majority are civilians. For over a year, Israel has been systematically targeting civilian infrastructure in occupied Gaza, falsely justifying these attacks by claiming that Hamas leaders are concealing weapons—a narrative the resistance has consistently denied."

"I would like to remind the Toronto Star that my concerns stem from a place of good intention in order to hold journalists and Canadian media accountable in their reporting of Israel-Palestine and raise awareness about harmful stereotypes that vilify Arabs. I look forward to hearing your thoughts."

Even if one accepts the notion that Israel was on the “defensive” for a single day, the criteria for labeling subsequent actions as a counteroffensive must be questioned, especially in light of the ICJ's ruling on the plausibility of genocide. Ultimately, continuing to use this type of language editorializes the situation for your readers in a way that takes a side and undermines impartiality.

"This is not merely an Israeli “counteroffensive” on the occupied Gaza Strip. Israel has been waging a year of genocide. Please name it as such, or at the very least, refrain from perpetuating euphemistic language that downplays Israel’s one-year of brutal attacks and violence on Gaza."

On October 7, 2024,  CJPME sent a letter to The Globe and Mail and Canadian Press (CP) to address concerns about the misleading language used in the CP article titled: “Events, protests to be held across Canada to mark one year since Oct. 7 attacks, Israel-Hamas war.”

In the article, the journalist referred to Israel’s year-long campaign of genocide as a “counter-offensive.” CJPME argued that labeling Israel’s genocidal actions as a “counter-offensive” is not just misleading; it is an egregious euphemism that journalists should avoid, especially since the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the world’s highest court, has indicated that Israel's actions could plausibly constitute genocide.

In the first edit of the article, the phrasing was changed to “the attack triggered a retaliatory Israeli offensive.” In a subsequent revision, CP altered the entire paragraph, stating that the events triggered a “region-wide conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, as well as Iran and other allies.”

These changes represent a step forward in our advocacy efforts to hold outlets accountable and emphasize the importance of accurate reporting and pushing the narrative on the escalations in the region to a higher standard.

"Given that both Hamas and Hezbollah hold elected political roles, and that Canada does not classify the Houthis as a terrorist group, I request that you promptly issue an on-air correction to more accurately reflect the political and legal status of these groups. It is the responsibility of media outlets to ensure that coverage remains factual, nuanced, and free from biased terminology."

"This is not merely an Israeli “counter-offensive.” It has been a year of genocide. Name it genocide, or at very least, please do not perpetuate Israel’s euphemistic language that downplays a year of brutal attacks on Gaza."