Canadian journalist resigns from CBC for bias, complicity in genocide
Canadian journalist Arfa Rana expressed in Mondoweiss she was "appalled" with the CBC’s biased coverage that overlooked the historical context to "defend Israel's massacre of Palestinians."
Arfa Rana, a former Canadian Broadcasting Corporation journalist, resigned in protest over the network's coverage of "Israel's" unrelenting bombardment of Palestinians, which she describes as "complicit" in the war on Gaza.
Rana expressed in Mondoweiss she was "appalled" with the CBC’s biased coverage on Gaza that overlooked historical context and was used to "defend Israel's massacre of Palestinians."
“The CBC Language Guide on the Middle East is a catastrophic oxymoron,” Rana wrote, criticizing their method of neutralizing regional reporting and failing to acknowledge "Israel's" crimes against humanity and violations of international law.
Despite addressing her concerns internally, Rana claims she has been ignored and sidelined in the newsroom, describing the struggle of working in such an atmosphere and stating that "by the time I resigned, I had become a shell of myself."
She hopes that her experience will inspire other journalists to investigate how mainstream media shapes public opinion and narrative.
According to Rana, "Now is the time for journalists to use their power to change the opinions of the masses through the stories they write. After all, truth-telling is not only a moral human obligation, but for journalists, it is also a revolutionary act."
Columnists quit Jewish Chronicle over fabricated Gaza, Hamas stories
Last month, several prominent columnists resigned from the Jewish Chronicle in protest after the paper published articles based on what they called "wild fabrications".
The Jewish Chronicle, the oldest Jewish newspaper in the world, is under pressure for an investigation after removing nine articles by Elon Perry due to concerns about their accuracy and discrepancies in his CV.
The articles, written by Perry, a former IOF member, reportedly included fabricated claims about Israeli intelligence. The newspaper stated on Friday that it was unsatisfied with some of Perry's assertions, leading to the removal of his work.
The statement said that Perry's stories were removed and all associations had ended with the author, citing that it "deeply regrets the chain of events that led to this point. We apologize to our loyal readers and have reviewed our internal processes so that this will not be repeated.”
Four of the paper's most prominent columnists, David Baddiel, Jonathan Freedland, David Aaronovitch, and Hadley Freeman, announced their resignation in protest of the controversy.
In a letter to the editor, Jake Wallis Simons, posted on X, Freedland stated that he was leaving the daily to which he had written for 26 years and for which his father had begun writing in 1951.
Freedland, a writer and podcaster for The Guardian, wrote that "the latest scandal brings great disgrace on the paper – publishing fabricated stories and showing only the thinnest form of contrition – but it is only the latest. Too often, the JC [Jewish Chronicle] reads like a partisan, ideological instrument, its judgments political rather than journalistic.”
He noted that mistakes may happen in all newspapers but cited that real accountability will not take place in this case "because the JC is owned by a person or people who refuse to reveal themselves. As you know, I and others have long urged transparency, making that case to you privately – but nothing has happened.”
Aaronovitch retweeted Freedland's words, writing, "I have done the same." Baddiel retweeted Freedland's message.
In a second piece, Freeman, a Sunday Times journalist, stated that recent events at the Jewish Chronicle had "made it impossible for me to stay."
Nazir Afzal, a former chief prosecutor for north-west England and a former member of the independent press regulator Ipso, expressed "great dismay" at the situation. He wrote on X that he believed "a 'standards investigation' is overdue."
Perry’s articles claimed to provide detailed accounts of Israeli operations and intelligence regarding Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, something debunked by the Israeli press, which labeled them "wild fabrications" intended to bolster Benjamin Netanyahu’s negotiating position over Gaza.