The Media Accountability Project  

"While it’s about the Israel-Hamas conflict, one would expect to see more Palestinian voices being given a platform than Dr. Amal Ismail as they are the main beneficiaries of a ceasefire and are also central to the negotiations for a ceasefire."

This article is a blatant example of the type of biased reporting about protests that we strongly oppose. Before Palestinian advocates are allowed to provide their motivations for a protest or blockade, media outlets mention how CIJA and other pro-Israel lobby groups feel about these protests.

"I counted six specific examples of supposed harassment, three of which were pro-Palestinian protestors. Why is there a disproportionate number of examples involving these types of protests? Further, some of the examples of actions perpetrated by “pro-Palestine protestors” are perfectly reasonable, peaceful forms of protest that you frame as violent or dangerous."

"Overall, your article lacks balance and impartiality. Your article gives hugely disproportionately more space and importance to antisemitic hate crimes than it does to Islamophobic ones. Good Journalism is based on fairness and balance, and this article fails to uphold even this most basic journalistic principle."

"The one-sided reporting of these controversial events gives the impression that they represent a surge of antisemitism, but this is only possible by ignoring the perspectives of others involved. Making this worse, the voiceover in the video claims that the country prides itself on diversity and inclusion but now is struggling to suppress rising hate, while showing images of pro-Palestine actions which put them in a bad light."

"The term “Arab Israelis” has been propagated by Israel to downplay the identity and indigeneity of Palestinians, thus constituting a form of anti-Palestinian racism. The term “Israeli Arab” was never chosen by the Palestinian people, and it doesn’t take into consideration their separate identity from Arabs as a whole."

"The effect of this is to paint Palestinians and pro-Palestine demonstrators as the reason behind the rising hate and surge of antisemitic cases, and as out of touch with Canadian values. This framing risks inciting hateful attitudes towards Palestinians and Muslims in Canada, in a context in which incidents of anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia are also skyrocketing."

"To many, Zionism, therefore, represents dispossession, apartheid, and genocide. Perhaps Barber needs to look at these long-standing injustices to understand why so many people today adopt the cause of anti-Zionism."

"Specifically, you write that the "war has led to tens of thousands of Palestinians dying." This passive voice, "dying," makes it appear that the deaths were spontaneous, and it conceals from the reader the fact that these people were killed by Israeli military actions."

On February 15, 2024, CJPME sent a letter to the Toronto Star, pushing the newspaper to add more context to accurately and completely describe the intentions of the organizers of the Sunday, February 11, 2024, pro-Palestine rally in Toronto.

CJPME wrote that the article did not even acknowledge the ongoing situation in Gaza, and specifically Rafah amidst Israel’s assault, which was the intention behind the rally.

CJPME asked to balance the article by adding more information about the intentions behind the protest and more context about the situation in Gaza, specifically Rafah.

On February 16, 2024, following our letter, Toronto Star added the following sentence: The protest was organized in opposition to Israel's bombardment of Rafah city in the Gaza Strip on Sunday night. Toronto Star also added an editor’s note. In this editor’s note, Toronto Star specified that the story has been updated to provide more context on the reasons why the rally was held.

This small change helps give a more accurate and complete picture of the Pro-Palestine rally and the organizers’ intentions.