The Media Accountability Project  

On December 3, 2024, CJPME media analyst Lynn Naji sent a letter to the Montreal Gazette regarding their one-sided article titled: “Quebec to probe rising tension at Dawson and Vanier over Israel-Gaza conflict.”

CJPME argued that the article does not provide sufficient context to understand why students at CEGEPs have been protesting on campuses.

Students have been striking in solidarity with the Palestinian movement in Canada. This includes a strategy of academic boycotts, walkouts and demonstrations against Israel's system of apartheid, its ongoing genocide in occupied Gaza and its brutality in the West Bank. The currentacademic boycott movement is also0an extension of the student encampments that occurred over the summer. CJPME argued that the article falls short of providing this necessary context.

Second, the article frames the pro-Palestine protests in a negative light. CJPME argued that the reporting would have been far more balanced had the Gazette included quotes from the student associations involved in the strike, or from an expert on Montreal’s history of student activism.  This would have offered a fair, balanced, and more nuanced reporting.

The following day, the article was updated to include the death toll resulting from Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and quoted CJPME, debunking the harmful stereotypes that these protests are violent and disruptive.

This added context marks a significant win for CJPME’s Media accountability team which has been pushing for this contextualization of pro-Palestine protests by the Gazette for months. CJPME remains committed to holding Canadian media accountable and pressuring them to stop perpetuating harmful stereotypes surrounding pro-Palestine activism.

"For accuracy and transparency, I urge you to revise your terminology in future coverage of the investigation, referring instead to "the war on Gaza." An on-air correction is also warranted to address the impact of this misrepresentation on your audience, particularly Montreal's Arab and Jewish communities."

"Please correct your inaccurate claim by referring to future broadcasts of this investigation in the context of  “Israel’s war on Gaza” and not the overly passive term “conflict in the Middle East.” I also believe that this deserves an on-air-correction as this framing is insulting to the many Arab-Canadians and Jewish-Canadians impacted by the war who live in Montreal and listen in to your broadcast daily."

"This framing represents a one-sided reporting on the pro-Palestine protests happening. Generally, these protests are peaceful, yet they are often framed negatively, particularly by those seeking to discredit the movement. Though you mention that “spokespeople for Dawson and Vanier did not respond to requests for comment,” this does not absolve you from putting good faith effort to talk to students who are actually leading the pro-Palestine protests in CEGEPs."

"In contrast, the students’ demands, which focus on protesting Israel’s genocidal actions in Gaza and standing in solidarity with Palestinians, are given relatively little attention. The article fails to provide substantial interviews with student leaders or adequately explore their motivations and goals."

"I urge you to explain to your readers that for more than a year, Israel’s genocidal actions in occupied Gaza have led to the deaths of over 43,972 Palestinians, with many still trapped under the rubble of bombed homes and tents. The official death toll is now outdated, and the UN Human Rights Office's report indicates that a majority of the fatalities in the first six months of Israel’s genocidal actions in occupied Gaza were women and children."

"HRC frequently conflates legitimate criticism of Israel with antisemitism, attempting to silence Palestinians and their allies. Should your editorial face undue backlash, please know that CJPME stands ready to support you and defend your freedom of expression."