The Media Accountability Project  

"In the name of fair and accurate journalism, I believe this context should have been included in the article, as it’s crucial for readers to understand what truly happened on October 7, including the fact that Israel’s own military directives led to the deaths of its own civilians."

"Reports confirm that both the Israeli occupation forces and US mercenaries have been deliberately shooting at unarmed Palestinians waiting for food. The matter of the fact is that Israel has manufactured a famine while turning aid into death camps."

"Canada must take this opportunity to demonstrate to the world that we have learned from our own colonial past and become a true champion of peace. Carney must immediately retract his remarks, apologize, and commit to a foreign policy rooted in justice not unconditional support for occupation and apartheid."

"By framing Israel’s aggression as the start of the conflict without this legal context, the article suggests a false moral equivalence between unlawful aggression and retaliation."

"By repeating these unverified and inflammatory claims, the Toronto Star not only fails to meet journalistic standards of accuracy but contributes to a harmful narrative that unfairly vilifies peaceful demonstrators. I demand that the Star issue a correction or clarification acknowledging that the protest did not block or endanger a medical emergency and that paramedics and police acted appropriately."

"Long before October 7, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah had consistently emphasized the group’s commitment to resisting Israel’s illegal occupation and to standing against Israel’s abhorrent expansionist project. Hezbollah’s actions are rooted in this broader political and moral position — not merely a tactical alliance with Hamas."

"As early as 2024, Israeli intelligence agencies have said they consider the numbers reported by the Gaza Health Ministry "generally accurate" and use them internally. Why is that fact left out of your otherwise excellent article?"

On Thursday, May 29, CJPME Media Accountability writer Jeff Winch submitted a formal complaint to the Toronto Star regarding the article titled “Behind the scenes of Toronto's 'bubble zone' debate: The confidential legal advice city council was given about limiting protests,”published on May 27, 2025.

Jeff pointed out that the article included a crucial mischaracterization of the protests outside synagogues, framing them through an antisemitic lens. He explained that the protests were not targeting places of worship but were directed against commercial real estate events held on synagogue premises, which promoted the sale of illegally occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank. These events were political and commercial in nature, not religious, and the protests were a legitimate response to the normalization of illegal settlements under international law.

Without this context, the article wrongly suggested that the protests were antisemitic in nature, conflating criticism of illegal Israeli settlements with hostility toward Jewish people or Judaism.

Following Jeff’s complaint, the Toronto Star amended the article to clarify that the protests were taking place outside synagogues hosting real estate events promoting the illegal purchase of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank.

CJPME thanks The Star for taking our feedback seriously and correcting

"The lives of children like Ward and Hind — and of Palestinian women and men — are rarely granted front-page coverage. Their stories are buried, while Israeli narratives dominate the news cycle with urgency and emotion."

"This event promoted illegal acts that only rub salt in the wounds of Palestinians suffering here in Toronto and across the country. These “events” had nothing to do with religious worship; the protests were a legitimate response to a meeting supporting an illegal practice. Without this context your article insinuates that the protests were against Jewish people and the Jewish state; in short, antisemitic, which they absolutely were not."