CBC’s Crisis: 128 Cases of Misreporting on the Israel-Hamas Conflict Exposed
Dan Donovan
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 16: Photos of the CBC building at 250 Front St West in Toronto to illustrate the release of the Rubin report today. (Colin McConnell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
On August 13, 2024, Brodie Fenlon, General Manager and Editor-in-Chief of CBC News published a post on CBC.ca titled On the Middle East, public trust and the meaning of impartiality with the tagline, “CBC doesn’t take your trust for granted. That’s why we have high standards for our journalists and their work.” When I read it, I spit my coffee out laughing. I thought it must be a satirical piece or a really bad joke written for a stand-up act or comedy competition. Fenlon’s tone-deaf article perfectly illustrates how out of touch CBC’s editorial board, leadership, and management team are with reality and their audience.
It is quite ironic—if not preposterous—for Fenlon to praise the CBC as a trustworthy source, given that he, as editor-in-chief, issued a directive on October 7 instructing CBC journalists not to refer to Hamas—recognized as a terrorist organization in Canada and many other countries—as “terrorists.” Instead, they were told to use the term “militants.” The order from Fenlon came after Hamas launched the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust, killing over 1,200 Israelis, including babies, seniors, and families. Women were raped, entire families were burned alive, and hundreds of civilians were taken hostage. Over 100 people, including men, women, and children, are still being held captive by Hamas.
MPs, independent media outlets in Canada, multiple Jewish groups from across Canada, including B’nai Brith Canada and citizens were outraged by the misguided directive, as it appeared to reflect the CBC’s editorial team imposing their own ideological views on the reporting. Under Canadian law, Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization, not a militant group.
Fenlon’s odious order of October 7 to portray Hamas as ‘militants was just the beginning of what would foreshadow a year and counting of CBC’s ideological, unethical and unprofessional bias in its reporting on the war in Gaza, on Israel and the alarming rise of antisemitism in Canada.
Honest Reporting Canada is an independent grass-roots organization promoting fairness and accuracy in Canadian media coverage of Israel, the Middle East and matters affecting Canada’s Jewish community, and which works to challenge anti-Jewish rhetoric, particularly when antisemitism hides behind a mask of anti-Israel criticism. With the assistance of over 60,000 members from coast to coast, HRC monitors the media, recognizes excellence and exposes inaccuracy and bias in Canadian reporting.
Honest Reporting Canada has cited over 130 cases from October 7, 2023, through August 30, 2024, where CBC News coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict has been one-sided, inaccurate, and ideologically driven, particularly in its coverage of Israel. They say CBC has consistently given a platform to anti-Israel perspectives while largely excluding opposing viewpoints across its various platforms. Ottawa Life Magazine has reviewed all 128 cases that show biased CBC coverage.
In his article, Fenlon says, “We (CBC)still value, and work very hard to live up to, the principle of journalistic impartiality. Our own research suggests Canadians care a great deal about impartiality in news coverage, equating the term “impartiality” with words such as “facts,” “truth,” “unbiased,” “showing all sides”, and “not injecting one’s own opinion, judgment or emotions into the story.” He goes on to say, “Impartiality is a promise to the public that the stories we broadcast and publish can be trusted as factual and accurate, based on professional reporting, fact-checking, multiple sources, vetting and layers of editorial oversight.”
Anyone reading any of the 128 stories would clearly see that they obliterate any idea or thought that CBC is providing credible, balanced and accurate reporting on Israel, the war in Gaza or on the obvious and growing problem of antisemitism in Canada. In fact, the coverage by CBC reporters, producers, editors and writers only serves to reaffirm the criticism that CBC has a stage four antisemitic cancer that has spread through its entire organization.
In his post, Fenlon also says: “Last week, I received two emails from two different people, both within a day of each other. One accused CBC of being a purveyor of ‘pro-Israel propaganda,’ while the other claimed our journalism suffers from ‘anti-Israel bias.’” He acknowledged that trust is the most important asset for a news organization, and it is concerning when people say their trust has been broken.
The problem, of course, is that the actions of Mr. Fenlon show an alarming case of cognitive dissonance. He and his colleagues at CBC have irreparably eroded the trust Canadians once had in the network’s credibility. Once a respected pillar of journalism, trusted for balanced coverage, CBC is now too often criticized for being biased, ideologically driven, and disconnected from the concerns of its audience.
Simply put, the CBC has strayed from its mission of serving the public interest, instead becoming a platform for partisan and ideological views. This shift has left viewers questioning the integrity of the network they once relied on for accurate and impartial news.
The Conservative government of Prime Minister R.B. Bennett established the CBC through the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Act in 1932. If current polls hold, it could be another Conservative government, under Pierre Poilievre, that either defunds or significantly reforms the CBC.
Such a recalibration would aim to bring the network back to its core mission of delivering objective, unbiased news free from ideological slants or controversial narratives. Whether through reform or defunding, the current CBC’s days are numbered. And rightly so.
Links to Honest Reporting posts from October 7, 2023, through August 30, 2024, referencing ideologically driven CBC stories:
