The Media Accountability Project  

"Blaff’s reporting seems intentionally irresponsible and deceptive.  I insist that Blaff and the Ottawa Citizen update the article to give a more accurate portrayal of the contents of the IPC’s May projection, notably “acute food insecurity” in Gaza.  If not, I may be required to take this issue to the National Newsmedia Council."

"Clear and accurate reporting is crucial, especially when addressing violations of international humanitarian law. I, therefore, immediately urge you to change the headline to: "A wounded Palestinian was used as a human shield, beaten, and tied to an Israeli army jeep." It is essential to accurately reflect this information as it significantly shapes readers’ perceptions of the story, even if they do not read the entire article."

Israel’s continued violence and oppression against the Palestinian people only deepens the rift, and makes true justice ever more elusive.  While it may be difficult for Palestinians and Israelis to see beyond their immediate grievances, other voices – including Canada – must be better at bringing justice and reason to bear. 

"All over the world, people were outraged by the horrific images of this massacre, notably the image of the headless child being held up, that circulated on social media, considering that a couple of months back Israel falsely claimed that Hamas beheaded 40 babies, which, on the contrary, sparked global outrage."

On June 17, 2024, CJPME complained that a statement by the Manitoba Islamic Association had been misrepresented in a CBC article. In reference to mental health, the Association expressed concern about the impact the ongoing “genocide against Palestinians” was having on youth. CBC paraphrased the reference to genocide as the “war in Gaza.”

Following our complaint, CBC’s Sr. Manager of Journalistic Standards & Public Trust acknowledged this was a mistake. To resolve it, CBC included the direct quote from the Association and added an Editor’s Note that reads, “The story has been updated to reflect that the Manitoba Islamic Association referenced genocide in Gaza, not war, in its statement.”

CJPME is satisfied with CBC’s response and believes it is essential that references to genocide are not whitewashed by vague references to the “war in Gaza.”

"To paraphrase “genocide against Palestinians” as “the war in Gaza” is to substantively misrepresent the Manitoba Islamic Association’s statement. There is a chasm of difference between war on one hand and genocide on the other. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide states that genocide is a crime that can be “committed in time of peace or in time of war.” As the Convention lays out, on a definitional level, genocide is entirely distinct from “war.” This is not only the case in the context of international law but also in ordinary language. War and genocide are not synonyms that can simply be substituted in for each other. In the context of this article, the distinction is hugely important. Given that this misrepresentation deals with the momentous mental health impact that the ongoing genocide in Gaza has on people, especially Palestinians and Muslims, such a difference in the perception of an event is essential."

"How do these facts not justify the CBC using the phrase anti-Palestinian racism? Unless there is a double standard at play, it seems inarguable that using the language of anti-Palestinian racism is not only justified, but essential for readers to clearly understand the nature of this incident. The police clearly identified this as an investigation into an anti-Palestinian hate crime."

I feel like your language around how each side, Hamas and Israel, are responding the UNSC ceasefire resolution is also unfair.  Your selective description of Hamas’ response chooses to dehumanize Palestinians (“necessary sacrifices”), while your description of Israel’s response makes them sound like measured strategists.

"While the article does state that The Commission reports that “Israel obstructs its work and prevented investigators from accessing both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories,” the extent of Israel’s noncompliance is not adequately conveyed, thus giving readers the false impression that the burden of proof has been met equally by Israel and Palestine."

It is easy for the world to forget that the enmity between Israelis and Palestinians did not start on Oct. 7, 2023.  Long prior to the Oct. 7 attack, among other warnings, Human rights organizations including Amnesty International (in 2022) and Human Rights Watch (in 2021) had issued detailed reports on how Israel had been imposing a situation of Apartheid on the Palestinians for decades.