
Complaints by members of a Canadian media union over a public statement on dangers faced by on-the-ground journalists in Gaza prompted a quick edit that didn’t blame
only Israel for the crisis.
The Canadian Media Guild (CMG), a trade union representing 6,000 Canadian media workers, issued a statement Thursday afternoon decrying the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and its impact on journalism and journalists, but several union members were upset their union’s statement
blamed just one side in the conflict.
“The problem with the press release was if you knew nothing about the conflict and just read that press release, you would have the impression that Israel mounted an unprovoked attack on Palestinian civilians in an attempt to annihilate them,” said a CMG union member who works at CBC and who asked not to be named for fear of jeopardizing union support in a precarious job market.
“There is no mention of Hamas’ role in any of this; not in the massacre that triggered the war, not for holding hostages, and most significantly in terms of this press release, no mention of Hamas looting aid delivery,” the member said.
The union’s executive soon received “feedback from members,” prompting a re-evaluation and an edit the following day, said Andreea Mihai, spokeswoman for the CMG.
“In response to feedback from members, we clarified the language in the statement to underscore our call for ‘all parties’ to cease hostilities and to reaffirm our focus on the safety of media professionals,” Mihai told National Post.
The updated version of the release, changed late Friday afternoon, leaves that last sentence intact but adds a postscript below it, reading: “Finally, the CMG calls on
all parties to end the hostilities and cease the inhumane treatment of civilians in the region.”
The new version of the release includes a notation: “This communication has been adjusted for clarification.”
'There is no mention of Hamas’ role in any of this; not in the massacre that triggered the war,' a union member said
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