The Media Accountability Project  

"Overall, the article did a fine job of outlining the important subject of Palestinian displacement by settler violence, which is rarely written about. We appreciate that it was done in a nuanced way by including Palestinian voices, which clearly illustrates the effects on their livelihoods."

"We applaud Rosie Scammell’s efforts on this story. It is especially important that Scammell took the time to contact the various authorities of the parties involved and share the findings. It is a balanced, fair, and full article."

"The point is that these are not fringe protesters or ideas, but an action firmly in line with much of mainstream political thought. Such an expression of outrage outside of the Israel Pavilion deserves to be a part of the story."

"It is rare to read a story from a civilian perspective on war in Canadian mainstream media. Even if far outside the personal experience of the reader, Mr. al-Mughrabi  allows us to see Gazans for once not as statistics but as people, who try to keep the family safe in a place where there is no shelter and no safety, while coping with frightened children who can’t sleep because of the noise and shaking."

"I also appreciate that your interview with Hanny touched on difficult issues of identity, displacement, and belonging. Often, Palestinian perspectives and narratives are silenced or deliberately left out of Canadian public discourse. Highlighting the experience of Palestinians – who experience war and live under occupation – is important in educating the Canadian public about the daily challenges and traumatic experiences that Palestinians endure."

"88.1% of Jewish Israelis trust the IDF, the number 1 ranking institution. However, only 33.9% of Arab Israelis (Read: Palestinian citizens of Israel) trust the IDF, which ranks 5^th in terms of trust. The authors do not combine this data and explicitly warn against it, so as far as I can tell it is unclear whether or not the IDF would still be the most trusted institution if the data was combined. In any case, the statement should be properly qualified, as it is currently misleading and potentially false."

In the first two weeks of March 2023, there was a series of articles in media outlets reporting on unfair accusations against Sarah Jama, the Ontario NDP candidate in the Hamilton Centre byelection, related to her advocacy for Palestinian human rights. Jama is a well-respected disability rights activist with a long history of speaking out for Palestinians.

In total, CJPME responded to 7 such articles and news broadcasts, including in the Toronto Sun, Toronto Star, and National Post. CJPME took issue with how they had helped to fuel the smear campaign against Jama by relying on highly contestable claims made by the pro-Israel group B’nai Brith Canada, thereby presenting activists in a one-sided and negative light. None of them provided a perspective from the Palestine solidarity movement itself nor mentioned the many civil society groups who support Jama’s activism.

As a result of our persistent advocacy, CJPME’s perspective on Jama’s Palestine activism and the smear campaign against her was incorporated into media coverage on the subject, including articles in the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star, and syndicated elsewhere. The Toronto Star's coverage was also updated to include a Palestinian perspective on the meaning of a popular chant. CJPME also had a statement featured on multiple CP24 news broadcasts aired on March 16 and 17. This helped restore some balance to the otherwise skewed reporting. Jama was elected MPP on March 16. Click here to read all of our letters on this subject.

Like many, we were horrified by the unfair attacks on #hamont MPP @SarahJama_ due her courageous support for Palestinian human rights, but encouraged to see voters reject this smear. Thanks to @CP24 for including our perspective in coverage of last night’s election result. pic.twitter.com/ATE5MYlNnV

— Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (@CJPME) March 17, 2023

I was particularly pleased to find that you included the book Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine, which explores the Palestinian perspectives on the diaspora and forced displacement. Palestinian perspectives are often silenced or deliberately left out of Canadian public discourse, evidenced by attempts to censor books that discuss Palestine or even include a historic map of Palestinian. By including this book among your recommendations for young readers, you are highlighting Palestinian narratives and experiences and how their lives were upended by the 1947 UN plan to partition historic Palestine.

On March 12, the Toronto Star published an article by journalist Rob Ferguson about Ontario NDP candidate Sarah Jama, which had falsely conflated Jama’s support for Palestinian human rights with antisemitism. Unfortunately, the article had uncritically repeated a smear campaign by pro-Israel advocacy group B’nai Brith. In part, the article claimed that Jama had previously been affiliated with a group which “has called for a Palestinian state ‘from the (Jordan) river to the sea’ — often interpreted as erasing the state of Israel.” Based on this one-sided interpretation, it was assumed therefore that the chant was antisemitic.

In describing a common Palestinian chant, the Star, therefore, had provided only a hostile interpretation which painted it in a negative light, without asking Palestinians themselves what it meant. CJPME promptly wrote to the Star about this gross misinterpretation, which we noted is a simple and legitimate call for freedom for all Palestinians under Israeli rule. CJPME insisted that the Star update its article to “include a Palestinian perspective regarding the meaning of this legitimate chant, instead of relying on interpretations sourced entirely by perspectives which are hostile to Palestinian narratives and activism.”

Late on March 13, the article was updated to describe the chant more accurately as “a contested refrain interpreted by some as a rallying cry for Palestinian freedom, but by others as a call to erase the state of Israel.” An Editor’s Note was appended to the bottom of the article to read: “This story has been updated to provide more context regarding the phrase ‘from the (Jordan) river to the sea.’” However, the article did not incorporate additional Palestinian perspectives or change the misleading headline, as had been requested.

Your Feb. 16 article in the Globe and Mail, "Palestinians sense a new intifada coming as young people focus their anger on Israel's resurgent right," did an excellent job of giving space for Palestinian perspectives. I welcome this development, which helps restore some balance to our national conversations. It’s important to note that your Feb. 16 regularly included significant space for Israeli perspectives as well, with quotes from people from different parts of Israeli society.

While the article represented an honest effort at meeting journalistic expectations around fair and balanced reporting, I would have hoped the same approach would be taken going forward. Unfortunately, the article published on February 22 almost entirely excluded the Palestinian perspective. Only twice does a Palestinian perspective come into the picture, and both times in a very limited fashion.