The Media Accountability Project  

On March 4, 2026, CJPME Media Analyst Anthony Issa sent a letter of concern to the editorial teams at the Toronto Star and the Associated Press regarding their article titled “Israeli military orders immediate evacuations in southern Lebanon as strikes on Beirut intensify.” 

The original article framed Israel’s military actions primarily through evacuation orders and retaliatory strikes, while failing to properly contextualize Israel’s prior invasion of Lebanon, its continued occupation of Lebanese territory, and its almost daily violations of the ceasefire between the two countries that has been in effect since 2024.

Following CJPME’s pressure, the article was revised with a new headline, “Israel warns residents in dozens of Lebanese border villages to evacuate as strikes intensify,” and expanded background on the conflict. 

The updated version now acknowledges that Israel launched a ground invasion of Lebanon during the 2024 war and continues to occupy five positions on Lebanese territory despite the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The revised reporting also notes that Israel carried out near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon during the ceasefire period, which killed nearly 400 people.

Importantly, the revised article also incorporated Hezbollah’s stated rationale for its strikes on Monday March 2nd. 

The piece now quotes Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Kassem explaining that the group launched rockets in response to Israel’s continued occupation and military attacks, stating: “As long as the occupation is present, then the resistance and its weapons are a legitimate right.”

CJPME thanks the Toronto Star and the Associated Press for improving the context and balance of their reporting. These revisions provide readers with a clearer understanding of the escalation in Lebanon and represent a meaningful step toward more accurate coverage of the region.

"The headline obscures the most essential fact of this developing story which is that Israel has invaded southern Lebanon, in clear violation of Lebanese sovereignty. A headline that centers Israeli military directives rather than the act of cross-border invasion misleads readers about the nature of the escalation."

They are fundamentally Zionist organizations that support Israel, and many Canadians, including Palestine solidarity activists, view them as part of the broader pro-Israel lobby in Canada, and generally aligned with CIJA, even if they have specific policy disagreements.

It is widely accepted as fact within the humanitarian and human rights sectors, and it is the basis of the legal case against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the arrest warrants against Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court (ICC). PCHR’s position is hardly unique, and it could not be further from “outlandish.”

"The article discusses Iran’s network of proxies, which are widely understood to mean groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. To lump PYM into the mix is both unfair and inaccurate."

"The glaring disparity between Canada’s response to white European Ukrainians and Arab Palestinians raised by CJPME’s report suggests that IRCC’s statements cannot be taken at face value. The article clearly needs follow-up interrogating the government's claims and challenging its inaction. I would suggest at the very least including some of the criticism I’ve raised regarding the flaws of the Gaza visa program."

"By repeating these unverified and inflammatory claims, the Toronto Star not only fails to meet journalistic standards of accuracy but contributes to a harmful narrative that unfairly vilifies peaceful demonstrators. I demand that the Star issue a correction or clarification acknowledging that the protest did not block or endanger a medical emergency and that paramedics and police acted appropriately."

"Absenting Palestinian perspectives from issues that directly affect them reinforces the idea that they are untrustworthy, or worse, dispensable."

"Mainstream media routinely parrot Israel’s propaganda without raising skepticism. In doing so, media outlets are not just misleading readers. They are manufacturing consent and normalizing Israel’s war crimes and crimes against humanity."

On May 16, 2025, The Sherbrooke Record published a letter to the editor by CJPME Media Analyst Anthony Issa in response to its article, “Cégep unions decry budget cuts as harmful to student support.”

The original article concerned the fact that Dawson faculty had called for Minister Pascale Déry’s resignation over the mismanagement of her position as education minister in Quebec.

CJPME’s letter clarified the political nature and seriousness of her interference in course content related to Palestine.

The letter highlighted that Minister Déry admitted to pressuring Dawson College to censor a course on Palestinian perspectives, leading to widespread protests and union condemnation. It also exposed her past affiliation with CIJA Québec, a pro-Israel lobby group that supported her intervention and raising serious concerns about bias and political censorship.

CJPME thanks The Sherbrooke Record for publishing the letter. It is important that media challenge political interference and defending academic freedom on Palestine.