The Media Accountability Project  

On May 15, World Report covered Israeli airstrikes in Gaza that killed over 100 people, including at least 28 in a hospital in Khan Yunis. During the segment (which starts at 1 minute mark) the host fails to mention that hospitals are protected under international law and does not acknowledge the attacks as war crimes. Instead, it centers Israeli claims that its military is targeting Hamas command centers across the territory without evidence, effectively normalizing the bombing of medical facilities amid a genocide.

Vote Palestine made waves in Canadian media as a political force that can no longer be ignored.

On May 9^th, 2025, CJPME Media Analyst Anthony Issa published a hard-hitting letter in the Hamilton Spectator, countering a hostile op-ed by Howard Eisenberg titled, “Canadians reject fringe anti-Israel agenda at the ballot box,” smearing the Vote Palestine campaign as fringe. Eisenberg’s piece was one of many recent media attacks by pro-Israel lobbyists and conservative pundits trying to bury Vote Palestine's momentum.

However, Issa’s response made it clear that Palestinian human rights is a growing movement within Canada. Over 20,000 Canadians pledged support. Hundreds of candidates endorsed the platform. Twenty-five MPs were elected on those commitments, including 10 per cent of the Liberal caucus. This is withing in a minority government Parliament where smaller parties now hold real influence.

Despite this organized backlash by pro-Israel propagandists, Vote Palestine was mentioned more than 100 times in Canadian media over the last 30 days, reaching a potential audience of over 150 million. The campaign is in the national spotlight, and our opponents are scrambling to respond.

As Mr. Issa rightly points out, “the louder you shout, the louder our calls against Israel’s genocide in Gaza become. Now from the streets and Parliament Hill.”

This is what mainstream impact looks like. And this is just the beginning.

"Although much of the coverage was hostile, including from the Toronto Sun, and the National Post, we are fringe no more. And the louder you shout, the louder our calls against Israel's genocide in Gaza become. Now from the streets and Parliament Hill."

"Your op-ed also rightly noted the tactics proposed by Pierre Poilievre, who has pledged to introduce harsher laws—including measures targeting acts of vandalism—framed as public safety initiatives and efforts to combat rising antisemitism. In practice, these proposals serve a more insidious purpose: to suppress legitimate criticism of Israel, an apartheid state, by conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitism."

"This misrepresentation constitutes a serious failure to adhere to the Canadian Association of Journalists’ (CAJ) ethics guideline on accuracy, which states that journalists must be 'disciplined in verifying facts” and must distinguish “between assertions and fact.' Even in the context of an opinion article, this piece falls short of being 'based in fact.'"

On March 28, 2025, CJPME volunteer Debbie Hubbard published a letter to the editor in the Hamilton Spectator in response to a March 25 op-ed, “The politics of disappearance: A warning for Canadians,” by Henry Giroux. Writing in support of the piece, she argued that it is critical for Canadians to take seriously the threats facing Palestine supporters in the US. With fascism and illiberalism on the rise, we too may face increasing degrees of criminalizing Palestine solidarity activism.

The letter reads:

The first thought that came to mind when reading Henry Giroux’s opinion piece was Pastor Martin Miemoller’s poem that ends with “… then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

Dissenting voices like Mahmoud Khalil, who refuse to remain silent about the slaughter and oppression of innocent civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, are sorely needed. Challenging the status quo and resisting should not be censored or punished.

This is truly a watershed and critical moment for Canadians. We are in the midst of a federal election. We must recognize and actively oppose right-wing rhetoric and ideology.

We need to discern which political party will address the social injustices and marginalizations that have been part of our colonial history and continue in the present. Which party will guarantee the right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest that are enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom? Then we need to vote with our feet and show up to cast our vote by April 28.

CJPME appreciates the remarkable contributions of our volunteers, who deeply enhance the value of this project.

"We need to discern which political party will address the social injustices and marginalizations that have been part of our colonial history and continue in the present. Which party will guarantee the right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest that are enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom? Then we need to vote with our feet and show up to cast our vote by April 28."