WHY IS ISRAEL IGNORED in the national conversation around foreign interference?
I co-wrote this oped last week with Louise Smith, a friend from Independent Jewish Voices in Toronto. It was published in The Hill Times today.
Proud of my 12yo who boldly asked his teacher today if they could have a moment of silence to remember the Muslim family murdered in
#London
. It could have been me + my family, he told them, and was surprised at the subdued silence afterwards.
Simple acts like this mean a lot💔
Free tickets were passed out last month by a right-wing Hindu nationalist group in Canada to a deeply malicious Bollywood movie.
I wrote about it in today's Toronto Star newspaper:
#TheKeralaStory
is
@nationalpost
a newspaper for Canadians or Israelis?
It's hard to tell.
Can you imagine what would happen if a Canadian newspaper launched Channel Saudi Arabia?
A white man accosted an Arabic-speaking woman and her two-year-old daughter earlier this week, uttering racial slurs and sexually violent threats in broad daylight on a Montreal street.
How does
@GlobeDebate
's columnist
@RobynUrback
get away with commenting on Birju Dattani's case when she's been on the Birthright Israel program (a 10-day, all-expenses-paid trips to Israel jointly funded by the Israeli government and private donors)? The Globe's own editorial
Hi everyone. Just wanted to say THANK YOU for the thousands who expressed gratitude for my Toronto Star oped calling for greater attention to Palestinian suffering in Gaza. The support I received far outweighed the hate.
Clearly, the Cdn public is a force to be reckoned with 🔥
For anyone wondering what suppression of perspectives in Canadian media looks like, consider this oped I submitted to The Globe and Mail in response to their editorial calling for universities to adopt the controversial IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. They declined,
This is so distressing. A Muslim woman and her 2 year old in Montreal get harassed by a man for speaking Arabic. The woman wasn't even wearing a hijab.
#cdnpoli
A white man accosted an Arabic-speaking woman and her two-year-old daughter earlier this week, uttering racial slurs and sexually violent threats in broad daylight on a Montreal street.
Note to educators: it takes courage to speak up about about things like this in class. Most kids from targeted communities try to hide or silence their differences (I know I did). If your kids feel safe enough to speak up in your classroom, you’re doing awesome as a teacher.
We got the best news last night.
The lovely Syrian family we co-sponsored with nine other families in 2017 just received Canadian citizenship!
I am so grateful we had the opportunity to do this.
A fictional CBC producer? Jesse, I know this writer and so do many journalists. And
@brodiefenlon
publicly responded to her piece on May 17. Who are you to proclaim this expose as fake? It only substantiates what multiple other media critiques have unearthed ...
There are a lot of big feelings about media bias in Canada since Oct 7, but not a lot of facts.
One big "bias" exposé was written by a fictional CBC producer & included claims about CBC journalists who were never asked to comment. No verified facts.
But I have some facts..🧵
@JesseBrown
Jesse, your decision to publicly criticize
@ShreeParadkar
, who has come on to your show several times, always offering so much unique insight and nuance, is really disappointing. It doesn't speak well to your character or values if you going to criticize your own guests.
Jesse Brown's outrageous smear against the writer who dared to expose the CBC's blatant censorship of carnage in Gaza - and his on going efforts to smear other racialized journalists - reminds me of South African apartheid activist Steve Biko's words:
There are a lot of big feelings about media bias in Canada since Oct 7, but not a lot of facts.
One big "bias" exposé was written by a fictional CBC producer & included claims about CBC journalists who were never asked to comment. No verified facts.
But I have some facts..🧵
It's so disgusting and predictable for Quebec to call for the resignation of Canada's new rep
@AmiraElghawaby
, whose job is to combat anti-Muslim hatred. So much for being bastions of free speech.
@YaaraSaks
I’m so sorry to hear this happened. Visible Muslims often go through the same bigotry. Peace will only come when we start seeing each other as humans, as opposed to political adversaries. Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks for giving me another reason to plug my new U of T course Jonathan Kay, aimed at highlighting and combating these racist and patronizing perspectives
policy dictates that if a columnist has ever accepted a trip from a government or special interest group, you are not allowed to write about the country or the interests.
Yet here we are.
They weren't boycotting it because they were anti-Semitic. They're boycotting it because there's an Aroma cafe sitting on an illegal settlement in the West Bank.
Jews in Canada will not hide or cower, we will not waiver in our resolve to stand against these hateful boycotts. We will never stand by idly as Jews and Jewish business are targeted. Got a feeling that Aroma will be busier than ever next week.
#BDSFail
and have not published a single oped since that challenges their editorial position.
Is this what media in a democracy is supposed to look like?
Written with a friend from
@IndJewishVoices
and
@JewsSayNo
, the oped was published here today:
The frmr US ambassador to Israel and Trump supporter who heads an org that advocates against a two-state solution and provides $2m/yr to an Israeli settlement, will be addressing a crowd of supporters in Toronto on July 2nd.
@DavidM_Friedman
, you are not welcome to Canada
@jonkay
@TorontoStar
@ShreeParadkar
The star has never tweeted every oped or column they publish, and Shree's voice remains one of the most popular and courageous among Canadian journalists.
Is there a better feeling as a journalism instructor when one of your students tells you that a piece they wrote for your class has been commissioned by a news outlet for publication??? I think not 😊😊😊
@JesseBrown
@ShreeParadkar
Shree is an absolute treasure among Canadian BIPOC journalists, many of whom are also your fans (myself included). You don't need to agree with her or any of your guests about everything. But to publicly condemn them in this way is really abhorrent and speaks to your
"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed."
Jesse is strategically trying to discredit this journalist and every other one who is only attempting to do their job. He will not win.
I beg you to stop consuming Canadian media, not just on Palestine, but on any international issue. If you want to understand the world, do not watch Canadian media.
Opinion | We Need More Sikhs In J-Schools & Canadian Newsrooms, from
@Kuwarx123x
"When I saw the staff and the backend programming of broadcast media, I witnessed firsthand that newsrooms do not reflect the diverse communities they report on."
🔗
@RobynUrback
@GlobeDebate
what?! ok. I don't believe your feigned ignorance and so I'm not going to respond to it. You're not seeing the conflict of interest here of you writing this column which is interesting.
somehow i feel like you might if i went on an all-expenses paid trip by iran and wrote regular
@andraydomise
My God. These words are breathtakingly ignorant and callous to the thousands of Afghans who have bravely risen against the Taliban over the last few decades.
@RobynUrback
@GlobeDebate
that's not the point. I'm taking issue with your right to say it as a columnist who has taken a paid trip by a special interest group
BTW, a column in support of Dattani's resignation from the human rights commissioner role is fair, as long as an oped is also published in support of him...right?
Wrong. It's clear that only SOME perspectives are given public space.
As Urback argues, perception is reality.
the new human rights commissioner was dismissed by baseless allegations of anti semitism before he was even given a chance.
canada is an embarrassment.
Why is the pro-Israel lobby so fearful of campus demonstrations in Canada? Let’s be clear: I support the voice of these young people as a catalyst for the change that is inevitably coming as a result of Israel’s crimes in Gaza AND I equally support punishment for anyone who
@JesseBrown
So disappointing yet again Jesse. You have a platform for Gods sake. Why don't you attempt dialogue and invite her on instead of recklessly throwing her under the bus like this. Do you have the faintest idea of how much harm you are causing?
So Israel bombed a Canadian startup office that employs local people in
#Gaza
and connects 20,000 diverse writers with businesses and entertainment companies looking for new stories 👇
Who remembers Rachel Corrie? She died 19 years ago when an Israeli bulldozer crushed her to death as she defended a Palestinian home from being demolished. Her death stunned me and shaped the path I took in my career
JOURNALISM students and graduates have rightfully been calling out journalism programs of late on x/twitter for inadequately preparing them for the future of journalism and/or being too “old school” in their approach
“I don’t want to die until I see the Middle East at the forefront of the world,” says the devil himself
@MbSofKSA
, architect of the war in
#Yemen
and head of a country that imprisons and beheads critics.
Random thought, but there's something I wish more journo students would heed: Invited guest speakers are often potential mentors and future sources for stories. We bring them in to help grow your professional network! So keep your cameras on and engage.
I'm still coming to terms with this as a Canadian journalism educator. Standing in front of a new group of students next week and encouraging them to enter an industry that continues to unashamedly breach professional journalistic principles makes me sick.
#cdnmedia
no words for Canadian journalists + journalism educators who for 3 months have not spoken out against the systematic murders of journalists in Gaza + show blatant disregard for the value of their lives, their work. never speak to me about your hollow commitments to press freedom
"Doctors are living in the hospital now because their homes are all destroyed. They are on call 24/7" .
A Canadian pediatric intensive care doctor keeps a video diary of her shifts at one of Gaza's last standing hospitals
The amount of unattributed material and lack of nuance reflected in this
@CBCTheNational
doc about Iranian dissidents in Canada seeking to chase out alleged government affiliates is shocking.
A thread for producers and
@adriearsenault
to take note:
Last week I brought in McDonald’s cookies. This week my
@JSchoolNow
students brought in coffee, muffins and cookies. Learning is so much more fun with snacks 🍪😋
great to see that the
@TorontoStar
’s official in-house anti-racism czar
@ShreeParadkar
has taken a break from comparing israel to hitler.
today, for a change, she downgraded to mussolini
so, progress
Honestly... being given the opportunity to edit this story and then see it nominated for two journalism awards is one of the proudest moments of my teaching career 💚🇵🇸
So so proud of
@rfrwi
, whose been nominated in TWO categories for her groundbreaking story about
@CBCNews
bias against Palestine.
You can read it here:
Take a look at this Canadian MP this evening, take a long, hard look. What a reprehensible embarrassment and stain on our city and country to have an elected official express disgust about some drones that killed... no one.
Meanwhile, 34,000 Palestinians dead... and silence.
Justin Trudeau’s government has found a way to toot its own horn about human rights while slipping the tools of death to the Saudi government.
#cdnpoli
via
@ricochet_en
@dwebsterbu
So let's compare the relative attention paid to 2 important, timely Canadian news stories:
‣The pro-Palestine protest movement
‣The historic wave of antisemitic hate in Canada
Reasonable people may disagree about which is more important, but both are objectively big stories.
Spots are open for Decolonizing Journalism, a course I'm co-teaching at
@UofTSCS
this fall alongside Mohawk journalist Dan David,
@DesmondCole
,
@ShreeParadkar
and
@lelasavic
Open to anyone interested in what news can look like, minus a Euro-centric gaze.
What students say👇🏾
Can I just say how incredibly proud I am of some of my journalism students
@HumberJSchool
@JournalismTMU
who have attended both Palestinian and Israeli soldarity protests over the last few weeks to witness for themselves what actually happens at them? And who are looking
Taking the time to invest in your own reporting and building relationships with people can help set you ahead in the journalism industry, sports writer and digital producer
@TorontoStar
@libaanstar1
told
@HumberJSchool
students in an inspiring talk today.
#jrnedu
"International students are the cash cows that have turned North American post-secondary educational institutions into multi-billion-dollar corporations."
A stunning story about inequity wealth gap from
@RSJnow
student
@abhihereandnow
Imagine your life without news. This powerful front page of
@TorontoStar
says it all. The underlying message? Please pay for the news you consume most regularly.
#journalismmatters
#jrnedu
As I edit my niece's brilliant personal statement for
@UofT
after they invited her to apply for a Rhodes Scholarship (yes you read that right) I'm recalling all the essay's my older sister used to edit for me in school. How blessed I am to be able to do this for her daughter 🙏
I've made the move to the dark side, everyone! I've transitioned from journalism to PR 😬
My new title is Director of Audience Growth for
READ WITH ALI, which is my 12-yo's virtual storytelling series this summer. Please RT/share!
@henakhanbooks
@UzmaWrites
@SajidahWrites
#kidlit
It was jaw-dropping to hear
@SeanFraserMP
announce that an "unlimited" number of Ukrainian refugees would be welcomed to Canada. What about all those targeted parameters it set for Syrian and Afghan refugees?
'Racial empathy gap' is putting it mildly.
“The worst part of suffering is not what you’re going through. It’s when you know that no one acknowledges your pain.”
Halima, a young 🇨🇦
#Hazara
woman speaks to me about the horrors of growing up under the Taliban.
"There is a movement of girls' football, a revolution on the pitch. It comes with a ponytail or with a hijab and it is booming."
Another brilliant col by
@_shireenahmed_
#FIFAWomensWorldCup
Please take a moment to read and reflect on a beautiful soul lost today in
#cdnmedia
. Fatima and Clement were both in a class I once taught at Humber and were the bright lights that always made MY day. Fatima was courageous and fearless. Truly a student I will never, ever forget.
It is with a heavy heart and sadness to announce the passing of Fatima Baig.
Many of you might have known her as an eager and bright journalist from
@HumberJSchool
, interning at
@globalnewsto
and as a published author.
Fatima was a caring, kind and thoughtful light in my life.
how extremely predictable for
@GlobeDebate
@globeandmail
to give columnist robyn urback first (and only, perhaps/most likely) comment at this case. I know for a fact that an oped
was pitched expressing support for Battani's appointment
but was ignored.
I'm thrilled to report that I quite possibly have the most brilliant, introspective students this year at
@JournalismTMU
in the
@ReviewofJourn
Masthead class. We collectively challenged dominant media narratives on the Queen's death yesterday, with contributing
Kids across Canada - especially Muslim kids - have been shocked and hurt by last weekend's terror attack on a Muslim family in
#London
, ON.
My kid Ali is quoted here on how he felt upon hearing the news
this old quote by Robert Fisk feels damning to post as someone who teaches journalism, but I'm going to do it anyway:
“One of the reasons why I think people have gone from reading mainstream newspapers to the Internet is because they realize they're being lied to.”