The Media Accountability Project  

After a successful Media Alert campaign, the National Post issued a correction of its disinformation regarding the death of former senior Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

Initially, the opinion piece by Vivian Bercovici falsely claimed that Sinwar's body was found with an UNRWA identity card, a baseless assertion without credible evidence. This defamatory accusation aimed to malign the UN's relief agency and create misleading associations between humanitarian aid organizations and Hamas. The correction was prompted by a combination of CJPME's alert, complaints by Media Responders, and public call-outs. The result reinforces the value that grassroots flak has in challenging unfair media narratives and false claims about Palestinians.

Not only did the National Post correct the error, it has now added an editorial note:

This column has been updated to remove the incorrect claim that the body of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was not found with an UNRWA identity card.

However, CJPME did not initially notice that the editor's note itself, as seen above, introduced an error, as it suggests Sinwar was "not" found with an UNRWA identity card. In a follow-up with National Post's Editor-in-Chief, CJPME forced another update to resolve the issue. The editor's note now reads:

Editor’s note: This column has been updated to remove the incorrect claim that the body of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was found with an UNRWA identity card.

CJPME is grateful for its dedicated Media Responders for their ongoing persistence. These coordinated efforts of solidarity highlight that we can hold media accountable and combat one-sided narratives on Palestine.  If you are not already signed up, please become a Media Responder by clicking here.

The National Post's amendment, although important, should serve as a reminder that there are rules to free speech. Legacy papers must live up to their standards and disinformation is never acceptable even if it advances your editorial line. 

[Page updated on November 11, 2024]

In her opinion piece, former Canadian ambassador to Israel Vivian Bercovici makes numerous misleading claims regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of Yahya Sinwar. However, the most libellous statement was her inclusion of a debunked claim that Sinwar was carrying an UNRWA identity card, despite no credible evidence from reliable sources confirming this.

"It is clear that AP used Israel's own words for its headline, which makes this article biased and in violation of journalistic standards. I, therefore, ask you to change your headline and any reference to Sinwar as 'the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks' in your article."