— Feature, Musings —08.05.2025 05:50 PM
CBC, Israel, Jews and the truth
Media truth.
For many, those words are an oxymoron – you know, two words that have the opposite meaning of the other. For many supporters of Israel and Western democracy, these days, “media truth” is just that. An oxymoron.
So: the New York Times, the ostensible newspaper of record, placing a photo of a child on its front page, and then falsely suggesting it was dying as a result of an Israeli campaign of starvation against Palestinians. Or most other media simply ignoring authentic footage of a skeletal Israeli man being forced by Hamas to dig his own grave – whose “state,” by the by, Canada just announced it would formally recognize.
The media has lost tremendous credibility over cases like these. Media have also lost a lot of legitimacy for playing fast and loose with the truth in the Israel-Hamas war.
The CBC, which all Canadian pay for with their taxes, has been among the notable offenders. Instead of presenting verifiable facts in a fair and balanced way, it has seemingly chosen sides, and presented a wildly-distorted view of the Hamas-Israel conflict.
This reporter has documented multiple examples of that at CBC. Many relate to Mohamed El Saife.
El Saife is paid by CBC to work as a “videographer.” A fawning essay about him was posted on the main CBC website at the anniversary of the slaughter of hundreds of Jews by Hamas, October 7. A similarly-sycophantic profile of him was broadcast on CBC’s main news programs, on both CBC News Network and on its main network. There, he was described as CBC’s “eyes and ears” in Gaza.
His “eyes and ears” apparently see and hear things differently than many of us. El Saife says “Israel” — he puts the Jewish state’s name in quotation marks, to suggest that it is a fiction — is an “occupation army that violates the dignity of of the bodies of martyrs.” He has accused Israel of “massacring” citizens in the Gazan city of Khan Yunis, without any proof.
He has published an A.I.-generated image of a Palestinian child wearing wings, and chased by demonic-looking weapons-toting IDF troops.
And, now, we learn about a new example of CBC’s “eyes and ears in Gaza” conducting himself in manner that many journalists never would: the raw footage he sends that is ultimately seen by hundreds of the network’s journalists. These are actual quotes from the footage – the “shot lists” – he sells to CBC:
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Well, what did you expect Warren? The CBC has been going down this road for a long, long time. They are plain and simply Canada’s 2025 version of the Soviet Union’s Pravda. An utter disgrace, and one that our current PM will not do a thing about.
So do you consider the Sun media more or less honest then the other media organizations in Canada? Just curious as they are now my go to for a “balanced” view.
Wink,
When you reach the point where the venerable NYT goes to Hell in a hand basket, that says it all about media bias across the board. It’s a sad confirmation that humans are equally hypocritical.
Warren,
What dividends? It’s only going to be Netanyahu’s Vietnam. And besides, none of his Arab neighbours will take on security in Gaza so he’s already fucked before he started. Israel is not getting what she deserves but this fascist sure is.
WK: Bibi is making this all moot. He is becoming a monster. He must go. This can’t go on. I am a massive supporter of Israel, this cannot go on. He’s destroying his own country because of his own ego.
Warren,
Netanyahu was very effective at his press conference, but he only spoke of deprivation caused by Hamas. That’s true, but it’s definitely not the whole story. For him not to acknowledge that Israel is partly to blame for some starvation in Gaza is disingenuous, to say the very least.
Netanyahu says the PA is also committed to Israel’s destruction. Right. If that’s the case, how come Israel has never removed the PA, given that they control the West Bank? Now, he’s back to being the real Netanyahu.
Everyone knows Mr. Netanyahu is not interested in peace. He and the CIA helped to fund and create Hamas.
Gilbert,
I wouldn’t put anything past the CIA. However, it is known that Netanyahu wanted Hamas in Gaza as a counterweight to Fatah in The West Bank. That way a future Palestinian state became impossible, which of course, was music to his ears.