The Media Accountability Project  

On April 1, CJPME learned that Grand Forks Gazette made all requested edits in a news article about a peace conference in Grand Forks. CJPME requested that the glaring factual errors related to the number of people killed and taken captive on Oct. 7 be edited. Before the article read:

Saturday marked roughly 170 days of Israel’s war on Gaza, following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas miliants at an outdoor music festival, which killed 1,600 Israeli citizens and 300 more taken hostage. Since then, it is estimated that more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed with about half of those children.

Now, the article reads:

Saturday marked roughly 170 days of Israel’s war on Gaza, following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas miliants at an outdoor music festival, which killed 1,200 people killed and around 240 taken hostage. Among the casualties were Isreali soldiers, civilians and foreigners. Since then, it is estimated that more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed with about half of those children.

A report from Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs cited social security data that showed that of the total death toll, 695 of those killed were Israeli civilians. The others were security forces and foreigners. There are also reports of Israeli civilians being killed by friendly fire on Oct.7, including a house in Kibbutz Be’eri getting shelled by a tank, leaving 12 Israelis dead.

CJPME greatly appreciates these thorough edits!

"Third, Hamas has not diverted “hundreds of billions of dollars in international aid to build” military installations. There is no evidence to support this wild figure. This is a pure fabrication. If I am wrong, please provide clear evidence to support the assertion."

"I find it puzzling and deeply disturbing that Global News could, in good conscience, piece together a news segment that goes from footage of a battered, hollowed, and burned Al-Shifa hospital to Israeli army footage of their justification for their attacks: three guns scattered on the floor."

"Thank you again for a well-researched and informative article. It demonstrated the depth of the suffering and losses that Palestinians are experiencing - losses that extend beyond the physical loss of life and property."

"Journalism permits for Gaza are granted by Israel, and Hamas secondarily can grant its own permit to journalists. Israel has blocked journalists from entering Gaza, not Hamas. The article you link to does not substantiate the claim you are making."

"You report that 300 Israeli citizens were taken hostage. According to the Israeli army, “the number of captives is 240,” so writing “300” is not supported by any other available sources. Like my point above, not all of those who were taken captive by Hamas were Israeli civilians. The captives include Israeli soldiers, civilians, and foreigners. Please correct this factual error and clarify your language to avoid implying that all those taken captive were civilians."

"De ce fait, dire que Gaza n’est pas occupée n’est pas seulement faux, mais fait fi complètement des responsabilités qu'Israël a en tant que puissance occupante en droit international et dans le génocide qu’il inflige aux Palestiniens."

"Beyond the obfuscation of the Palestinian death toll, this description undermines the scale of Palestinian suffering in Gaza. Israel’s military assault and siege on Gaza has killed, but it has also wounded, starved, and displaced most Palestinians in the strip. Death, albeit salient, is only one component of Israel’s menacing military campaign in Gaza."

On March 26, CJPME learned that the Globe and Mail had finally made the edits requested on their landing page for the “Israel-Hamas War.” Before CJPME’s complaints, the description of the “Israel-Hamas War” on the Globe and Mail’s landing page read:

On Oct. 7 a surprise attack by militant group Hamas left around 1,200 Israelis dead, and hundreds were taken hostage. Israel responded with air strikes and a ground campaign in the Gaza Strip that has killed thousands.

As written in CJPME’s letter to the outlet, reciting the precise death toll for those killed in Israel but opting for “thousands” to describe the Palestinian death toll is blatantly disrespectful. The Standards Editor at The Globe emphasized that the descriptive copy at the top of topic pages cannot be updated frequently and is written in such a way as to allow it to remain static. She did, however, agree to update the number of casualties exceptionally. The description now reads:

On Oct. 7 a surprise attack by militant group Hamas left around 1,200 Israelis dead, and hundreds were taken hostage. Israel responded with air strikes and a ground campaign in the Gaza Strip that has killed tens of thousands.

While this is not the edit we hoped for, we recognize The Globe’s inability to keep the number of casualties updated and appreciate their willingness to concede to our demands

"Consistently giving priority to statements provided by Israel’s military and deliberately excluding testimonies provided by witnesses or Palestinian officials is a blatant double standard and perpetuates Canadian media’s tendency to assign the burden of proof to anyone but Israel."