Rally outside Winnipeg CBC building protests broadcaster's Gaza coverage
The protest, which began around noon and saw protesters line the sidewalk and boulevard from Young Street to Balmoral Street, in front of the CBC building and the University of Winnipeg campus, called on the public broadcaster to launch an independent, public review of the conflict's coverage since October 2023, commit to consistently using the word "genocide" in its coverage, and centre Palestinian voices and direct eyewitness accounts.
A social media post by the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba called for "an end to the shameful complicity of the media," accusing media outlets like CBC of "continuing to censor, obfuscate and neglect the truth being broadcast from on the ground."
Winnipeg demonstrator Alex Boulley pointed to human rights organizations that have called the crisis a genocide, saying "it's the right use of the word."
"I think that not using the word is unfortunately undercutting the severity of the situation, and it is causing it to appear less dire than it is," they said, stressing language choices could lead to misunderstandings around the situation.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Doctors Without Borders, have described the situation as a genocide.
Israel has repeatedly denied committing a genocide, recently calling growing international condemnation a "global campaign of lies."
In a statement to CBC Manitoba, a CBC spokesperson said the term "genocide" carries a "precise definition under international law."
"For CBC to make a legal determination, or to take a side in this debate, before a conclusive legal finding would violate the principle of impartiality, one of the core tenets of our Journalistic Standards and Practices," the spokesperson said.
"CBC does quote, feature, interview, profile, with clear attribution and context, organizations and governments that do make that declaration. CBC also reports, again with attribution and context, the views of individuals, organizations and governments that deny Israel is committing genocide."
The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals, but 50 remain inside Gaza. Israel believes around 20 of them to be alive.
Since then, Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed more 61,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not specify how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children. The Health Ministry also says there have been more than 200 malnutrition-related deaths.
according to the United Nations.
More on-the-ground coverage needed: protester
The war has also become deadly for those reporting on it, with 192 journalists killed since the war began, according to the non-profit Committee to Protect Journalists.
Among them are six journalists, including prominent Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, who were killed in a targeted Israeli airstrike on Aug. 10.
During Saturday's protest — which was attended by upwards of 200 people, according to a rough CBC head count — some demonstrators wore blue signs with the word "Press" and red paint.
Doha Smaha, a Grade 12 student who is originally from Algeria, said CBC News should do more in-depth reporting on the journalists killed while working in the war zone.
"A lot of press members are being killed and CBC was just covering [up] the truth. So we're trying to show them the reality and the truth," Smaha said.
Marianne Jantz, a nurse from Winnipeg, said she would like to see more CBC journalists on the ground in Gaza, highlighting international correspondent Margaret Evans's reporting from the West Bank.
Protester Byron Rempel-Burkholder said coverage on CBC Manitoba's Weekend Morning Show has shed light on the situation.
Host Nadia Kidwai has interviewed journalists on the ground in Gaza, including Al Jazeera reporter Tareq Abu Azzoum and citizen journalist Mansour Shouman. The show has also featured interviews with aid workers in Gaza, Israeli youth jailed for refusing military service, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese and two Gazan families who came to Manitoba for life-changing medical care.
But Rempel-Burkholder said he is "disturbed" by much of the Western press coverage of Gaza.
"In terms of CBC's approach, I think there needs to be a shift toward much greater empathy, sympathy for the Palestinian intergenerational trauma that they've experienced at the hands of Israel," he said, encouraging journalists to seek out "deeper causes to this conflict."
In its statement, CBC says the broadcaster is "committed to covering the conflict in all its complexity," including the war's humanitarian impact, the Israeli military's actions, the role of Hamas and how to define the situation, including accusations of genocide.
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