Latest news with #ExigentFoundation
National Post
04-06-2025
- General
- National Post
Leslie Roberts: Canadian media choose Hamas fiction over facts
As someone who's spent a career in newsrooms — reporting, anchoring, and holding truth to power — I've never been more concerned about the erosion of credibility in the media and the damage it's doing to public trust. That concern has only deepened in recent weeks as misinformation — and the careless amplification of it — continues to seep into even our most established Canadian outlets. Article content Article content Case in point: the events surrounding a supposed Israeli attack on a food depot in Gaza on Sunday. Several mainstream Canadian news organizations reported that Israel had killed Palestinians at the site — repeating claims that originated from Hamas without sufficient verification. Their source: Associated Press and Reuters, wire services Canadian media outlets subscribe to for international reporting. Trusted, not fact-checked from here. Within hours, video evidence and detailed reports from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) strongly contradicted that narrative, showing it to be very likely false. It took almost a full day to see a single clarification in their reporting. By then, the damage was done. Once again, a claim manufactured by a terrorist group was laundered through respected western media, reaching audiences hungry for truth but served distortion. Article content Article content Article content I saw firsthand how misinformation spreads during a recent trip to Israel, sponsored by the Exigent Foundation, where the IDF now serves not only as a defense force, but also as a real-time fact-checking unit — challenging falsehoods as quickly as they emerge. In an era of instant outrage and algorithmic amplification, Israel is fighting not only a war on the ground, but a war over truth. Article content Article content There was a time — not so long ago — when journalists double- and triple-checked the facts before airing or publishing a story. We'd hold back, even under pressure, until we could confirm. We knew that credibility wasn't just currency — it was everything. Somewhere along the line, the speed of the news cycle began to outrun the discipline of journalism. And we're all paying the price. Article content Article content The Jewish community is paying the price most directly. These inaccuracies are not just journalistic failures — they're fuelling antisemitism across Canada. No wonder some Jewish Canadians are quietly contemplating 'an exit plan' if things continue to escalate. Many now say that, if it becomes too much to bear, Israel feels like the only safe place left. Article content When lies spread faster than facts, and when reputable journalists amplify propaganda from bad actors, our democratic foundation trembles. As Canadians, we pride ourselves on fairness and integrity — but our media must reflect those values. Reporting claims from a group like Hamas without scrutiny is not journalism. It's a disservice to every honest reporter still doing the work, and to the public that depends on us.
Edmonton Journal
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Eight seconds that changed the lives of 12 Israeli families forever
Article content The soccer pitch, still very much in use by schoolchildren, has become a regular draw for international media visits and other fact-finding tours. The National Post was part of a group of Canadian journalists touring Israel under the sponsorship of the Exigent Foundation, one of three groups visiting at the time. This is the Golan Heights, part of Syria until Israel seized the region in the 1967 War. The Druze, part of a breakaway sect of Islam, are largely intensely loyal to Israel. Layth Absuleh, who lost his son and three other family members that day, stood by a billboard with heartbreaking photos of the 12 children killed, describing each of them as good students, strong athletes, loving family members. He spoke of individual tragedy too: One boy was directly hit and essentially vaporized, so they thought he was missing until they found his jawbone, and only his jawbone, 17 hours later. A first responder found his daughter dead, and covered her with a blanket before going on to treat the children still living.
National Post
20-05-2025
- National Post
In verdant vineyard, the cost of October 7 horrors for both Israel and Hamas are laid bare
Nir Oz, Israel – On Monday morning, on either side of a southern Israel vineyard bordering Gaza, the heavy costs of October 7 for both Israel and Hamas are laid bare. Article content Article content Israeli mortars are pounding the suburbs of Khan Yunis, once a city of about 200,000 in southern Gaza. We are on the Israeli side, where we hear the irregular thumps of mortars, then witness the rising smoke as they land. Article content Article content Article content A group of Canadian journalists, on a trip sponsored by the Exigent Foundation, have come here to listen to Shlomo Margalit, an 87-year-old, native-born Israeli who co-founded the kibbutz in the 1950s. Article content He is telling us about the horrors of October 7, but manages to find moments of humour with the comic timing of Larry David. 'That's a good question!' he tells one visitor who asked about the painted markings on each house left behind by the IDF search after the attack. 'You know why that's a good question? Because I have the answer!' Article content He casts an eye on an Israeli Defense Forces Jeep passing on a security road: 'Where were they on October 7?' Article content Article content The IDF never fought for Nir Oz. Hamas caught all of Israel flat-footed, but nowhere more so than Nir Oz. The terrorists arrived here, and overcame fierce resistance from the kibbutz's security team within a few hours. They murdered residents, set homes ablaze and took hostages, then left when they were done. The army arrived later. Article content Article content Margalit takes us on a short tour; he's done this dozens of times in the 19 months since October 7. Article content He takes us to the home of the Siman Tov family – a couple with young twins and a toddler, all killed, the house mangled and burned. Article content Article content 'Over there lived a single woman, she's a nurse,' he tells us. She was taken hostage, and released after 50 days after an internment in which she, via a wilfull personality, strong-armed Hamas into letting her treat some of the other hostages, he says.
