The Media Accountability Project  

"Your TV segment shows jarring yet important footage of Israeli soldiers beating and attacking Palestinian civilian worshippers. It is very important for Canadian audiences to be aware of the horrific acts perpetrated in occupied Jerusalem by Israeli forces and how the Palestinian community in Canada is responding to these human rights violations.

I am also very pleased to see that you accurately describe East Jerusalem as 'occupied' in your TV segment which I have previously written to you about. It is crucial to provide the context of occupation when reporting on events in the region."

I appreciate your coverage of the protest against the Israeli attack on Palestinian civilian worshippers in occupied Jerusalem and the subsequent fundraising efforts by community mosques in Windsor. I also greatly appreciate that your interviewed two community members leading these efforts. It is very important for Canadian audiences to be aware of the horrific acts perpetrated in occupied Jerusalem by Israeli forces and how the Palestinian community in Canada is responding to these human rights violations.

On March 8, 2023, Saltwire published a letter to the editor by Frank Holden in support of bus advertisements in St. John’s which pointed to human rights reports on Israeli apartheid. The letter discussed the Palestinian indigenous connection to the land and the dispossession Palestinians have experienced through settler colonialism. However, the letter was published with the false and misleading headline, "Anti-semitic advertisements back on Metrobus," which reflected the exact opposite of the points made in the letter.

CJPME wrote to Saltwire to request a headline change, and after receiving no response, submitted a complaint to the National NewsMedia Council. On April 6, 2023, CJPME was informed that the NCC had discussed the matter with Saltwire, which had made an editorial decision to change the title to "LETTER: Bus adverts a reminder to be concerned for safety and equality of all," which better reflects the contents of the letter.

Your article highlights a series of events as part of Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) in Montreal. The article also reports on the rally organized by Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) at McGill and calls attention to McGill’s partnerships with Israeli institutions complicit in the occupation of Palestine. It is also crucial for McGill students to know about the $29 million donation by notorious anti-Palestinian Zionist billionaire Sylvan Adams to build the Sylvan Adams Sports Science Institute (SASSI) in partnership with Tel Aviv University.

It is alarming that in a story that concerns Israel’s relations with Palestinians, the pro-Palestine protests in London on Downing Street would be omitted and only two Israeli guests would be interviewed and not a Palestinian guest. This serves to omit key information about a Palestinian demonstration, and it omits a Palestinian perspective in a story that directly involves Palestinian issues.

B’nai B’rith Canada’s call for the NDP to withdraw Jama’s candidacy was part of a smear campaign targeting organizations and individuals who advocate for Palestinian human rights. Firth’s claim that Jama’s affiliation with the student organization Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights amounts to a “call for the eradication of a recognized, albeit flawed, democratic state,” is patently false and unfairly conflates antisemitism and activism.

On March 24, 2023, the Associated Press published an article on CTV News about the protests against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu during his visit to London, UK. However, although the story mentioned pro-Israel demonstrations expressing concern over Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul, it omitted any mention of the significant anti-occupation, anti-apartheid, or pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the same time.

Following a complaint from CJPME, the AP updated its syndicated story hours later to include these important details, adding a new paragraph which reads:

"In London, Netanyahu also was met by a pro-Palestinian demonstration. His government has been criticized for its hard-line policy toward Palestinians, including recent comments by a government minister who denied the existence of the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination."

"Many news agencies chose to ignore the pro-Palestinian demonstrators, leaving people with a false impression of what happened in London today. I was more than pleased to hear your concise, balanced summary of the protests that included this critical context."

"What is completely absent from the article is any reference to the significant numbers of anti-apartheid and anti-occupation protesters, largely organized by the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC) in the UK. One Twitter post calling for a protest by PSC was seen by over 39,000 people and was shared over 300 times. Photos show protesters with signs reading 'The occupation is a moral crisis' and 'no democracy with occupation,' largely from the 'Na’amod: British Jews Against Occupation' contingent."

Your powerful conclusion resonates, that “Palestinians deserve the right to have a home on their land, and there is no way to accomplish that without the support of the world.” It’s a sentiment that is at the core of why CJPME exists in the first place.