In early 2022, CJPME launched our“Media Accountability Project” (MAP), an initiative to challenge Canadian media biasagainst Palestinians and their narratives. Every day, our MAP team of staff and volunteers send letters to media outlets pushing for more balanced and informed coverage. Click here to see the hundreds of instances where we've influenced coverage, and the hundreds of "media alerts" that have mobilized our team of "media responders."
And while the MAP has consistently been effective at getting changes and improving media coverage in Canada, the past few weeks have seen some huge and significant wins. If you like what you see in the highlights below, please consider donating to support our work. And if you want to participate, consider signing up as a "media responder."
Today, the CJPME Palestine Debrief podcast also just published an interview of the MAP's Director, Jason Toney. Check out the podcast for a conversation between Toney and podcast host Wissam El Cheikh Hassan around how to combat the "Palestine Exception" in Canadian Media!
CJPME Forces Removal of Israeli Propaganda in National Post
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. CJPME celebrates the change.
Initially, the opinion piece by Vivian Bercovici, the former Canadian Ambassador to Israel, 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.
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.
Radio-Canada Removes Problematic “Conflit Eternal” News Label After Extensive CJPME Led Effort
CJPME’s achieved a significant victory by pressuring Radio-Canada to revise its problematic labeling of Middle East coverage. Previously, Radio-Canada categorized stories under the title “Proche-Orient: L’éternel conflit” (Near East: The Eternal Conflict). This framing was misleading, as it implied that the region’s conflicts were timeless and unsolvable, obscuring key issues such as Israeli occupation, human rights violations, and the asymmetry of power.
Through sustained public pressure—including mobilization by Quebec Green Party leader Alex Tyrrell, public call-outs on social media and numerous MAP Alert responses, Radio-Canada has changed the title to the more neutral “Conflit au Moyen-Orient” (Conflict in the Middle-East). This change applies to all of Radio-Canada’s future reporting on the subject. This adjustment is a significant step toward more journalistic standards of fairness and responsible reporting on the Middle East. It also challenges narratives that normalize Israeli occupation and perpetuate a sense of hopelessness, reaffirming the possibility of justice and resolution.
CBC Makes Clear Statement on Anti-Palestinian Racism following CJPME’s Insistence
BC Conservative candidate Brent Chapman made a 2015 Facebook comment describing Palestinians as “little inbred walking talking breathing time bombs.” In its article about Chapman’s 2024 campaign, CBC referred to the comments “alleged” anti-Palestinian racism (APR) and added that only some had “seen [the comments] as racist,” minimizing the hateful nature of his statements. Chapman’s remarks, which included offensive and dehumanizing stereotypes, were clear examples of APR. It is unconscionable for CBC to downplay or call into question a clear-cut case of APR.
CJPME sent a letter to CBC News
requesting a revision to its problematic coverage and in response, CBC acknowledged the concerns raised and confirmed that the article was updated to explicitly state that Chapman’s remarks constitute anti-Palestinian racism. The terms “alleged” and “seen as racist” were removed from the article.
This is an important step toward ensuring that anti-Palestinian racism is accurately recognized and reported in Canadian media, without the use of language that unnecessarily casts doubt on the seriousness of hate speech against Palestinians.
Radio Station Apologizes for Racist Interview with Canadian-Zionist Dhalia Kurts After CJPME Complaint with CBSC
On June 18, 2024, CJPME's Media Analyst Anthony Issa filed a formal complaint with the Canadian Broadcasting Standards Council (CBSC) regarding a segment of The Drive aired on CKTB Radio on June 16. The complaint highlighted multiple egregious instances of anti-Palestinian racism and Islamophobia expressed by pro-Israel commentator Dahlia Kurtz, who was invited onto the show by host Jon Mark. Ms. Kurtz's racist rhetoric, which included Nakba denial, labeling Palestinian protesters as terrorists, calling Palestinian children "terrorists in training," and falsely accusing the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) of antisemitism for incorporating anti-Palestinian racism training, was allowed to go unchallenged throughout the broadcast.
In response to CJPME’s formal CBSC complaint, CKTB was required to acknowledge its failure in maintaining journalistic oversight. On October 10, 2024, CKTB issued a public apology:
“During an episode of The Drive on July 17, 2024, a guest on the show expressed an opinion regarding what the Toronto District School Board is going to do with respect to anti-Palestinian hate that was not presented clearly as an opinion. The words of the guest could be interpreted as facts rather than an opinion. 610 CKTB apologizes for this statement.”
This apology is a glaring acknowledgment of the lack of responsibility CKTB showed in platforming a figure like Dahlia Kurtz. CJPME is disappointed that CKTB’s apology is not a firmer rejection of racism. Nevertheless, by allowing her to spread such abhorrent views the station effectively gave a platform to hate speech. Kurtz’s offensive statements and Jon Mark’s failure to challenge them reflect poorly on The Drive and CKTB as a whole.
CJPME Advocacy Leads to Corrections and Letters to the Editor in The Hill Times
CJPME President Thomas Woodley was published in The Hill Times, countering an unfair op-ed criticizing Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s special representative on combatting Islamophobia. In his letter, Woodley pointed out that the op-ed attacking Elghawaby was essentially a thinly-veiled attack on her effectiveness in her role defending the rights of Canada’s Muslims. He highlighted Elghawaby’s vital role in confronting rising Islamophobia and standing up for the civil liberties of pro-Palestinian protesters.
Additionally, CJPME sent a letter to the Hill Times to address serious concerns over the misleading and harmful language used in their article titled: “So much pain, and there’s been no winners’: MPs mark Oct. 7 anniversary.” The article referred to Israel’s year-long genocidal campaign in Gaza as a “counteroffensive” and claimed that this “counteroffensive” is expanding to Lebanon—an egregious euphemism that whitewashes the atrocities Israel has been committing in occupied Gaza for the past year.
CJPME argued that the term “counteroffensive” should be replaced with “genocide,” as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on January 31, 2024, that Israel’s military operations plausibly constitute genocide. In response to CJPME’s advocacy efforts, The Hill Times updated the article by removing the term “counteroffensive” and replacing it with more accurate language, alongside an editor’s note acknowledging the correction.
Other CJPME appearances in the The Hill Times are also in the pipeline.
Can you support our work?
CJPME's ability to challenge the media literally day-after-day is only possible through the generosity of private donors. We have full-time staffpeople dedicated to this issue. If you believe in this work, please consider making a gift of financial support to CJPME. Monthly donations are especially helpful, as they sustain our ongoing work and make it easier for us to strategize for the future. If you don't like to donate by credit card, you may donate via email transfer, over the phone (438-380-5410), or complete and mail in this form.