The Media Accountability Project  

While the article itself talked about Israel using Abadi as a human shield, the article's headline went out of its way to avoid using the term "human shield."  There are other items in the article that could be critiqued, but the failure to call out Israel's use of a human shield in the headline is the biggest issue we're focusing on. 

"The examples demonstrate two things: 1. his anti-Israel stance, which is conflated with antisemitism, and 2. that the media wants to make him guilty by association when he should not bear the responsibility for the people invited to panels where he gave talks."

"I was also disappointed in how little nuance Boudjikanian brought in his description of Jewish and/or pro-Israel pressure on the Liberals.  While the government has indeed been “accused by Jewish groups of not being supportive enough of Israel,” many might describe these groups as overtly pro-Israel."

"Clear and accurate reporting is crucial, especially when addressing violations of international humanitarian law. I, therefore, immediately urge you to change the headline to: "A wounded Palestinian was used as a human shield, beaten, and tied to an Israeli army jeep." It is essential to accurately reflect this information as it significantly shapes readers’ perceptions of the story, even if they do not read the entire article."

On June 26, 2024, a CJPME MAP volunteer sent a letter to CBC News to ask them to specify that the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) is a pro-Israel advocacy organization in an article about MPs reviewing the new appointment of the Human Rights Commissioner.  

While we have regularly taken issue with media outlets describing CIJA as a “Jewish organization” or “Jewish advocate,” it is the first time that a media outlet has made a change following one of our letters.

Following our ask, CBC decided to add additional context. They added the following words: “whose mission is ‘to preserve and protect Jewish life in Canada through advocacy’” and a link to CIJA’s website.

While this is not the exact change we requested, it is a significant step in the right direction. It sets a precedent for challenging the inaccurate description of organizations such as CIJA.

"Ultimately, Israel has been committing a terrible offense to humanity these past eight months in Gaza, resulting in massive demonstrations around the world.  The protestors outside May’s office are yet one more example.  Please do not whitewash Israel’s criminal brutality in your coverage."

"This blockade on both goods and people has strangled Gaza’s economy and collectively punished Palestinians living in Gaza. For this reason, many human rights NGO’s have referred to Gaza as an 'open-air prison.'"

On June 4, CBC published an Associated Press article that referred to Palestinians in Gaza as "facing catastrophic food insecurity." CJPME promptly wrote to CBC to condemn this weak language and emphasize that Palestinians in Gaza are not "food insecure," but instead facing forced starvation. In response to our complaints, CBC edited the sentence to the following: 

Israel's subsequent bombardments and assault on Gaza has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians in nearly eight months, according to Gaza health officials, and displaced at least 1.7 million of the 2.3 million people living in the territory - most of whom, according to the World Food Programme, are facing catastrophic hunger." 

CJPME appreciates that CBC edited this sentence to include their source for their terminology (the World Food Programme), linked the page in which the WFP uses this language, and, most importantly, changed "catastrophic food insecurity" to "catastrophic hunger." 

In the same vein, you consistently refer to Palestinian captives who are being “treated” by Israel as “patients.” If one of the civilians or soldiers taken captive by Hamas on Oct. 7 were receiving treatment, shackled, and blindfolded on a bed in a tent in Gaza, I am certain that AP would refer to this individual as a hostage, not a patient.

"Your language subtly undermines the scale of starvation and dehydration in the Strip. Earlier in the article, CBC outlines allegations that starvation of civilians is being used by Israel as a method of warfare. Yet, when CBC describes starvation in Gaza in its own terms, it settles for “catastrophic food insecurity.” The starvation, dehydration, and malnutrition preceding a famine do not fall under the scope of “food insecurity.” Palestinians in Gaza are not “food insecure.”"