The Media Accountability Project  

On May 14, 2025, the Hamilton Spectator published a letter to the editor by CJPME Media Analyst Anthony Issa in response to Gwynne Dyer’s column, “India and Israel are on parallel tracks.” While Dyer’s article introduced important comparisons between Kashmir and Palestine, CJPME’s letter expanded the conversation by challenging oversimplified portrayals of resistance and emphasizing the structural violence and settler-colonialism underlying both conflicts.

The letter drew attention to the risks of describing groups like Hamas or Kashmiri militants as having “triggered” war, without naming the long-standing conditions of occupation, apartheid, and denial of political autonomy that give rise to resistance. It also urged Canadian media to move beyond surface-level analysis and center the voices of those directly affected.

CJPME applauds the Hamilton Spectator for publishing the letter and will continue pushing for Palestinian perspectives in Canadian media coverage.

Click here to access the letter on our website.

While Dyer rightly notes the strategic logic of asymmetric warfare, framing groups like Hamas or Kashmiri militants as having “triggered” war risks obscuring the long-standing conditions of structural violence (mass surveillance, apartheid, crushing of political autonomy) that shape their right to resist.

"Why does CBC repeat Israeli propaganda in the subheading when the article exposes it as baseless? Journalistic accuracy depends on clearly differentiating between assertions and facts. If an assertion has not been independently verified, journalistic integrity demands it be reported as the spokesperson’s opinion or perspective, rather than as an established fact. Given that the article directly debunks this claim, the subheading should unequivocally reflect this skepticism."

"In the interest of fairness, the article should have framed the situation more accurately, by presenting the Israeli supporters as the primary instigators of the violence—attacking buildings with Palestinian flags, shouting racist slogans, and engaging in other provocative acts."

"By repeating Israel’s claims without providing adequate surrounding context, your article effectively disseminates a one-sided talking point. Journalists should not act as stenographers of Israeli military euphemisms that downplay the well-documented risks that their actions present towards civilian lives in Lebanon."

"The reality is that most readers will not even make it that far into the article, such that you’ve effectively downplayed the very backlash this article is supposedly concerned with while amplifying the defense. The result is an article that is deeply unbalanced and fails to fairly report on its subject."

"This reporting is not only inaccurate but also misleading. These demonstrations are anti-genocide protests, driven by the hunger to end Israel’s indiscriminate bombings of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Furthermore, I take issue with the lack of skepticism around the framing of Israel’s now 11-month brutal and unlawful siege on Gaza. Israel has framed its occupation of the strip under the guise of targeting Hamas resistance fighters yet this nuance or context is nowhere to be found in your text."

"Your headline makes it seem like Hezbollah is behind the killing of 12 children in the Occupied Golan Heights when it has denied it is behind the attack as you mentioned in your 9th paragraph. As many experts have already indicated, it would make no sense for Hezbollah to launch an attack on the Golan Heights when it is an occupied Syrian territory by Israel since 1967, and Hezbollah has been an ally of Assad’s Syria."

"While there are positive aspects in your article, it is highly unfortunate that you relegate pro-Palestine perspectives to the very last few paragraphs. This unfair placement not only undermines the balance of the article but also risks perpetuating a prejudicial narrative. As The Sudbury Star should know, many readers may only engage with the beginning of the article and never reach the end, leaving them with incomplete and skewed reporting."

"Under international law, Israel is considered an occupying power and has a responsibility of letting aid in. On top of it, Israel has closed border crossings, which is the only effective and efficient way to get aid despite multiple international calls asking Israel to open them."