The Toronto Star has been running what seems like more articles (AP) than usual during Ramadan 2022, but the language is very problematic. We have written about two more.
Inaccuracies in AP Apr. 2 article in the Star: Israeli troops kill 3 Palestinians in West Bank gun battle
Public Editor Bruce Campion-Smith
Bureau of Accuracy/Public Editor
The Toronto Star
Toronto, Ontario
Dear Mr. Campion-Smith
I write to express my shock and outrage about your misleading portrayal and language regarding the brutal killing of three Palestinians by Israeli forces.
The article written on April 1st, 2022, paints the killing of the three Palestinians as brought on by their own actions. The article reads that those who were killed were “militants,” insinuating that they were engaged in aggressive, active fighting, and that the Israeli soldiers had no other choice but to kill them.
Since the beginning of 2022, 47 Palestinians, including eight children and two women, have been killed by Israeli forces in numerous violent incidents.
On a similar note, the article state that tensions have soared due to the fact that “Palestinian assailants killed 11 Israelis in separate attacks across the country,” but fails to mention that tensions have also been rising due to the ongoing attacks on the holy site of Al-Aqsa during the holy month of Ramadan.
At the end of the article, we read that Palestinian, Jordanian, and Israeli leaders have attempted to meet and calm tensions before the start of Ramadan; allegedly, “Israel has made a series of goodwill gestures,” however, this claim is not supported by any evidence. If Israel is attempting to make good regarding the conflict between Israel and Palestine, they would not continue to assault, attack, and steal Palestinian land.
Finally, the very final paragraph of the article calls the tensions “Jewish-Arab violence.” This framing of violence by Israel as a “Jewish” problem absolves the state of Israel and Israeli soldiers of their violent actions and hides it under religion. Rather than focusing on the political and physical assaults done by Israel on Palestinians, this phrase puts more emphasis religious and cultural tensions than state tensions.
I call on you to take action immediately to look into these changes, and either update or remove the bias information in this article. Inaccurate information in the media fuels misinformation in one’s beliefs. According to your accuracy and corrections policy, “there can be no compromise with accuracy.” Though it is understandable that mistakes are bound to happen, they also must be corrected.
When would we expect to hear from you about the inaccuracies in this and other articles we have brought to your attention?
Sincerely,
Karen Rodman
for Just Peace Advocates
Inaccuracy of April 22 AP article: Israeli police storm Jerusalem holy site after rock-throwing
Letter in response to
Public Editor Bruce Campion-Smith
Bureau of Accuracy/Public Editor
The Toronto Star
Toronto, Ontario
Dear Mr. Campion-Smith
I write to you today to express my shock and outrage about your misleading portrayal and language regarding the Israeli police storming a Jerusalem holy site.
The article, written on April 22nd, 2022, has a great deal of misinformation which must be corrected for accuracy. For one, there is repeated use of the term “Palestinian militants.” This is not only included throughout the article, but it is also a common theme noticed in various articles posted on The Star. The term “militants” refers to violent, vicious, and harmful people; in reality, the Palestinians that you refer to as militants are only reacting to violence placed upon them by Israeli forces. I urge you to stop the use of the term militants to refer to Palestinians who are facing violence from an occupation force. This language sheds a violent light and creates misinformation on the character of Palestinians.
The article also says there have been regular clashes at the holy sight over the last week “following a strong of deadly attacks inside Israel and arrest raids in the occupied West Bank.” However, this sentence fails to mention the string of deadly and violent attack against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. This sentence makes it seem as though violence is only brought about on Israelis inside Israel.
Also, directly after this inaccurate sentence, the article states that “three rockets have been fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the Islamic militant group Hamas.” We once again see the use of the word militant here. The article fails to mention the harm put upon the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces. It is incorrect and unfair to use the word militants to describe a group who is exercising their right under the Fourth Geneva Convention to protect themselves again violent occupation.
Finally, the article paints the Palestinians throwing rocks as more violent and unruly than the Israeli forces who are firing live arms at them. According to the article, the Palestinians were “erecting crude fortifications before dawn.” I call on you to reframe and reword this section of the article, as Palestinians throwing rocks and Israel forces armed with firearms are not fighting an equal fight.
I call on you to take action immediately to look into these changes, and either update or remove the bias information in this article. Inaccurate information in the media fuels misinformation in one’s beliefs. According to your accuracy and corrections policy, “there can be no compromise with accuracy.” Though it is understandable that mistakes are bound to happen, they also must be corrected.
I trust you will respond to this and earlier letters about inaccurate reporting in the Star.
Sincerely,
Karen Rodman
for Just Peace Advocates
Image: Facebook
