The Media Accountability Project  

"As a member of the National NewsMedia Council, the Toronto Sun has a responsibility to adhere to journalistic standards of accuracy and fairness. By framing the occupation as a matter of dispute without providing proper context, the article fails to meet these standards."

"This rhetoric also erases the presence of Christian communities, or even Christian Arabs as myself, and Christian Palestinians that are deeply involved in numerous pro-Palestine solidarity movements across North America. By singling us out and other-ing us as terrorist sympathizers, Kinsella spotlights his own apathy through his selective outrage."

"Kinsella’s harrowing tale of Yousef’s journey from potential Hamas leader to Mossad agent rings hollow when it’s used to legitimize Muslim hate speech. That’s not a very punk opinion if you ask me."

"Toronto Sun reporter Bryan Passifiume fails to meet basic journalistic standards by sidelining diverse Jewish-Canadian perspectives. His coverage of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union's (OPSEU) decision to select Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) for antisemitism training amplifies pro-Israel voices while excluding balanced viewpoints."

"Fair and accurate reporting is an important journalistic standard in Canada that requires reporters to provide evidence supporting allegations. For this story, there is no evidence for Mr. Passifiume to report as fact that any of the encampments were a "no-go" zone for Jewish students and faculty."

Writing about all pro-Palestine protesters in Canada, Brian Lilley states, "We have the equivalent of Nazis marching in our streets day after day, week after week and very little is being done about it." This is a form of anti-Palestinian racism, as defined by the Arab Canadians Lawyer Association, since Lilley is trying to defame Palestinians as well as their allies as fascists and antisemites for opposing Israel’s actions in Gaza.

"The context that Balsam was referring to is clear. He was discussing pro-Palestine protests in support of a ceasefire, not pro-Israel protests, as the Toronto Sun’s article suggests."

After months of silence, except in National NewsMedia cases where they were forced to reply, CJPME’s media advocacy efforts have visibly impacted the Toronto Sun and their newsroom. CJPME Media Analyst Anthony Issa sent a letter criticizing the Toronto Sun for biased and Islamophobic coverage by National politics reporter Bryan Passifiume. 

CJPME’s letter highlighted concerns over Passifiume’s article titled “Hillel urging universities to make campuses safe for Jews this September,” which was published on August 16, 2024. The article was criticized for its one-sided narrative, failure to include Palestinian voices, and for contributing to anti-Palestinian racism. 

But instead of engaging with these serious concerns, Passifiume decided to turn social media and tweet a picture of our numerous letters of complaint which he has turned into his personal art gallery in his home office. Passifiume presented these letters as a badge of honor. However, it’s clear that CJPME's advocacy is being read by the Toronto Sun and living rent-free in their minds (and homes!).

While this reaction was unexpected, it shows how necessary our work is. All that Passifiume has shown is that some journalists take pride in the substantive allegations of racism and false claims made against them.

While Toronto Sun journalists like Warren Kinsella and Brian Lilley have also taken to social media to intimidate CJPME and launch personal attacks against our staff, we will continue to fight against racism and for fair and honest media coverage of Palestine.

"The claims in the article are poor enough, relying on false and misleading allegations about images to present sloppy innuendo to defame charities connected to Palestine. This is intended to cause harm to these organizations and promote skepticism against all supporters of Palestinian rights. It should also be noted that the IDRF is considering legal action, deeming Kinsella’s claims 'defamatory.'"

"From the very first sentence, Mr. Passifiume, you present your opinion as fact. For instance, referring to groups that advocate for Palestinian rights on campus as 'anti-Israeli extremists' is not only a baseless editorialization but also defamatory. Your labeling pressures and stigmatizes Palestinians and their allies, effectively framing them as terrorist sympathizers. This characterization is not only inaccurate and harmful but also a form of anti-Palestinian racism, as defined by the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association."