The Media Accountability Project  

"It would be more appropriate and accurate to refer to the “shadowy military facility” as a detention center or to use its actual name: Sde Teiman detention facility."

"The article provocatively characterizes Palestinian liberation messages on electronic road signs, such as 'Free Palestine,' 'Escalate Now,' and 'Globalize the Intifada' as anti-Israel."

On July 19, 2024, CJPME sent a letter to the CBC about an Associated Press article published by the CJPME entitled: “U.S. shutters problem-plagued temporary aid pier in Gaza, claiming mission accomplished” published on July 17, 2024.  In particular, CJPME took issue with the sentence: “Aid groups also were terrorized by attacks, from Hamas, gunmen who stripped convoys of supplies and the Israeli military.”  While CJPME made a number of points about the article, CJPME foremost challenged CBC/AP’s use of the word “terrorized.”

The UN defines “terrorism” as criminal acts against civilians with the purpose to “intimidate a population or compel a government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing an act.” CJPME argued that, if indeed Hamas or unidentified gunmen had stolen aid, it would not be for any political purpose, but rather to feed starving people.  As such, the characterization of such attacks as being by nature “terror” would be inaccurate.  CJPME asked the CBC/AP to modify the sentence, such that the modifier “terror” not longer applied to Palestinian groups.

The CBC responded with a lengthy email which acknowledged several of the issues raised by CJPME, and explained that they had had a lengthy back-and-forth with AP to strengthen the article.  In the end, CBC rewrote the paragraph in question to add attribution and other details to make the language more precise. It now reads:

“Everyone has agreed all along that land crossings are the most productive way to get aid into Gaza, but the Israeli military has routinely blocked routes and slowed deliveries due to inspections. Hamas, armed gunmen who stripped convoys of supplies and the Israeli military created dangerous conditions for aid workers, according to various aid groups, the U.N. and the U.S. More than 278 workers have been killed in the conflict, said Samantha Power, administrator of USAID.”

Notably, in addition to adding far more contextual balance to the paragraph, the CBC/AP removed the word “terrorized” (as applied to Palestinian groups) as requested by CJPME. 

"I’m disappointed with the article’s paragraph which talks about the death toll in Gaza, as it fails to make clear that the Palestinians are the overwhelming victims in this conflict."

"First, I note that your article does not provide a link to an account of Hamas attacking an aid convoy. If you have compelling, independent evidence of any such attack by Hamas, please provide a link for it. Otherwise, please remove the assertion as it would be inaccurate and/or unsupported."

"Your article focuses on the Israeli military's claim that they were targeting a Hamas military commander. Whether this claim is true or not is irrelevant; what should be centered in your story and most importantly your headline is that the airstrike by Israel hit a designated “safe zone.” At least 90 people have been killed and roughly 300 wounded from the Israeli air attack on the al-Mawasi refugee camp. This context is crucial for your audience for a comprehensive understanding of the event, yet it is buried by numerous IDF claims throughout the article."

"Incredibly, the article offers no skepticism or counterpoint to the claims of these actors.  Nor does it seek a reaction to these perspectives from any of the student protestors.  And even when the article does cite someone who is not opposed to the encampment, it quotes from a student who has apparently has no connection to the protestors (i.e. 'previously been part of a student-led Palestinian solidarity group.')"

"I take foremost issue with your article giving overwhelmingly voice to Richard Marceau, vice president for the Centre of Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, director of policy and advocacy at the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, and Richard Robertson, director for research and advocacy for B’nai Brith Canada, while you only briefly quote the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM)."

"First, you write that “student protesters at the University of Ottawa have cleared their encampment after more than two months of protesting the war in Gaza.” I take issue with your use of vague terms such as “war” instead of explicitly stating that Israel has been employing full-blown war tactics on Palestinians in Gaza, such as starvation, indiscriminate bombing of neighborhoods and hospitals, using Palestinians as human shields."

"Geist touts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, but fails to mention that this definition recklessly conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Other definitions of antisemitism – the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, for example – define antisemitism while still leaving space for critics of Israel to condemn its war crimes and apartheid."