North Star with Ellin Bessner Evan Kosiner told the CBC to call Hamas ‘terrorists’; CBC's ombudsman agrees they could
Toronto businessman Evan Kosiner lodged a complaint with the CBC’s ombudsman last month concerning why the news organization won’t let its journalists describe the Oct. 7 Hamas attack by using the word “terrorism”. Kosiner felt that CBC News—in choosing to refer to Hamas as militants, despite the Canadian government’s own official designation—is biased against Israel. He also accused the CBC of publishing misinformation, particularly for how some journalists initially portrayed the controversial bombing of a Gaza hospital. The CBC received more than 300 complaints, but Kosiner’s was singled out publicly on Friday Nov 24. when the CBC ombudsman, Jack Nagler, published his report. Nagler agreed terrorism is what it was, and thinks the news department could have used the word without breaking CBC journalistic standards. On today’s The CJN Daily, Kosiner joins host Ellin Bessner to explain why he’s not satisfied and is still working to hold the Crown corporation accountable, especially because it receives over $1 billion in taxpayers funding to operate.
What we talked about
- Read more about the complainant, Evan Kosiner, in The CJN archives
- Hear our interview with the head of CBC News about why they can’t call Hamas terrorists—except in some cases—on The CJN Daily
- Read the CBC ombudsman’s report on how they decide between “terrorists” and “militants”
- Support The CJN by donating to the future of what Jewish Canada sounds like
Credits The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Zachary Kauffman is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We’re a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To subscribe to this podcast, please watch this video. Donate to The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt by clicking here.