This is the best column I have ever read that you've written Evan, It is absolutely to the point and needs to be said. Canadian media needs to step up and get the stories straight, no more "stenography".
I came here after reading some heated exchanges on Twitter expecting to leave an angry comment but this piece had some fair points for me to dig into deeper on references, so thank you for that and for encouraging me to consider the fear Jewish Canadians must be feeling here at home with recent events.
That said, I am having a hard time squaring the idea that criticism of the Israeli government and its policies (which I equate with Zionism and which Jama seems to) is anti-semitism. That seems to be one of the points you're making here and it's one I'm seeing commonly thrown around. I can't say what's in Jama's heart, and I admit that there are some acts of omission combined with her presence alongside some unsavoury statements by others at rallies that give one some doubt on that front - but the statements I've seen her make, mainly the written one that got her censured and more recently about establishment political bias thanks to lobby groups like CIJA, don't seem particularly problematic to me (CIJA has spent over $800k on ~70 active MPs in trips to Israel so they're clearly buying access). Advocating for a ceasefire has to include advocating for an end to oppression and systems of apartheid otherwise nothing will change, and that naturally involves critiques of Zionism and questioning why our politicians are consistently making statements at odds with their constituents.
Sidenote: Jama has a libel case against Ford which I think is separate from the threatened one against the censure that you reference from the article. The libel case seems to have a reasonable chance given how unhinged the Premier's statement was. I don't know whether the Spectator or Jama is conflating the two or if they're one and the same.
Calling out blatant falsehoods should be common practice for the media, but it is not without risks for media organizations and individual journalists. It is unfortunate, but very real.
Certain politicians are quick to claim bias when media organizations point out their lies and other falsehoods. Individual journalists put their employment at risk when they go farther in calling out lies than what their employer wants to do. And some receive harassment and death threats as result of this.
Currently the risk reward balance for calling out lies is negative. There is no reward for telling the truth and there are massive risks for doing so. And the depressing part is that there does not seem to be a solution for this.
This one sucks Evan sorry. Your commentary over the course of the last month on the topic of Israel and Gaza honestly isn't great and your characterization of Jama feels gross. I'm expecting more from you.
If you even for a single second expected me to tolerate antisemitism when it comes from someone you like you should never expect a goddamn thing from me again
What the fuck man I married into a Jewish family and have worked with the Jewish community for my job for like 5 years I'm an ally which is why I'm critical of Israel so take it easy
This column isn’t about Israel, it’s about Sarah Jama claiming a Zionist conspiracy controls the entire Ontario government, which is textbook antisemitism
That’s what’s gross, not me accurately describing her
if you want to punch down on a black politician in a wheelchair who is married to a Palestinian for being against ethnic cleansing and genocide go for it but it makes you look unsophisticated and callous just fyi feel free to ignore but i usually enjoy your writing a lot which is why i'm being critical and pointing it out :)
This is the dumbest possible characterization of what's happened.
1) She's an MPP. It's part of her job to be attacked in the media. That's what you sign up for. When you're an MPP you are at the top of the metaphorical pyramid of society. There is essentially no one that can "punch down" on you. To claim this not only infantalizes Jama, but also reveals a complete lack of understanding of what an MPP is.
2) The attack isn't because she's against ethnic cleansing or genocide (which, really, is the kind of hyperbolic claim that robs legitimacy from very real criticism of what's happening and how it is happening). The attack is that she's using antisemitic dog whistles. She could have said "I think the federal government is too friendly and supportive of the extremely right wing Israeli government whose policies are causing excessive and unjustified civilian casualties". That's a debatable point, but not antisemitic.
3) This doesn't even get into her lying about rape victims (which we have very strong independent media accounts of based on video evidence taken by the attackers themselves).
Consider, for a moment, if a right wing politician you hated had said some white nationalist dog whistles and then said "a lot of women who claim to have been raped are lying". I'd imagine you'd be rightfully angry. This is the exact same fucking thing.
Excellent column! Real journalism is a tough job in today's hyper politicized and commercialized environment enabled by 'Social media' where anyone with a hate-on feels empowered.
This is the best column I have ever read that you've written Evan, It is absolutely to the point and needs to be said. Canadian media needs to step up and get the stories straight, no more "stenography".
I came here after reading some heated exchanges on Twitter expecting to leave an angry comment but this piece had some fair points for me to dig into deeper on references, so thank you for that and for encouraging me to consider the fear Jewish Canadians must be feeling here at home with recent events.
That said, I am having a hard time squaring the idea that criticism of the Israeli government and its policies (which I equate with Zionism and which Jama seems to) is anti-semitism. That seems to be one of the points you're making here and it's one I'm seeing commonly thrown around. I can't say what's in Jama's heart, and I admit that there are some acts of omission combined with her presence alongside some unsavoury statements by others at rallies that give one some doubt on that front - but the statements I've seen her make, mainly the written one that got her censured and more recently about establishment political bias thanks to lobby groups like CIJA, don't seem particularly problematic to me (CIJA has spent over $800k on ~70 active MPs in trips to Israel so they're clearly buying access). Advocating for a ceasefire has to include advocating for an end to oppression and systems of apartheid otherwise nothing will change, and that naturally involves critiques of Zionism and questioning why our politicians are consistently making statements at odds with their constituents.
Sidenote: Jama has a libel case against Ford which I think is separate from the threatened one against the censure that you reference from the article. The libel case seems to have a reasonable chance given how unhinged the Premier's statement was. I don't know whether the Spectator or Jama is conflating the two or if they're one and the same.
most excellent notes ! WILL REVISIT.. this comment among all the others .. including mine !
Calling out blatant falsehoods should be common practice for the media, but it is not without risks for media organizations and individual journalists. It is unfortunate, but very real.
Certain politicians are quick to claim bias when media organizations point out their lies and other falsehoods. Individual journalists put their employment at risk when they go farther in calling out lies than what their employer wants to do. And some receive harassment and death threats as result of this.
Currently the risk reward balance for calling out lies is negative. There is no reward for telling the truth and there are massive risks for doing so. And the depressing part is that there does not seem to be a solution for this.
o don’t think you’re digging into this deep enough.. but as for actual ‘personal risk’ ? Undeniable Threat
It’s more a gamble though.. to break crashing into Reality a la bellingcat & at least fracture the invincibility
We get our Perceptions.. notions of ‘preferable vote’ for whatever reason or don’t even vote
(JUICY TARGET) & there’s a spectrum in itself & the ‘vote the party because’ - the great - undecided.. !
Now there’s the bullseye plus all lesser plums to own - this is totally BIG TIME scummy stuff...
we’re to just let them tear up Canada.. but we’ll be smarter next time ?
This one sucks Evan sorry. Your commentary over the course of the last month on the topic of Israel and Gaza honestly isn't great and your characterization of Jama feels gross. I'm expecting more from you.
If you even for a single second expected me to tolerate antisemitism when it comes from someone you like you should never expect a goddamn thing from me again
What the fuck man I married into a Jewish family and have worked with the Jewish community for my job for like 5 years I'm an ally which is why I'm critical of Israel so take it easy
This column isn’t about Israel, it’s about Sarah Jama claiming a Zionist conspiracy controls the entire Ontario government, which is textbook antisemitism
That’s what’s gross, not me accurately describing her
if you want to punch down on a black politician in a wheelchair who is married to a Palestinian for being against ethnic cleansing and genocide go for it but it makes you look unsophisticated and callous just fyi feel free to ignore but i usually enjoy your writing a lot which is why i'm being critical and pointing it out :)
She’s a fucking MPP and I’m a columnist, I’m not fucking punching down on someone who chose to serve in public office
If you genuinely believe she’s incapable of being criticized why the fuck is she in office
This is the dumbest possible characterization of what's happened.
1) She's an MPP. It's part of her job to be attacked in the media. That's what you sign up for. When you're an MPP you are at the top of the metaphorical pyramid of society. There is essentially no one that can "punch down" on you. To claim this not only infantalizes Jama, but also reveals a complete lack of understanding of what an MPP is.
2) The attack isn't because she's against ethnic cleansing or genocide (which, really, is the kind of hyperbolic claim that robs legitimacy from very real criticism of what's happening and how it is happening). The attack is that she's using antisemitic dog whistles. She could have said "I think the federal government is too friendly and supportive of the extremely right wing Israeli government whose policies are causing excessive and unjustified civilian casualties". That's a debatable point, but not antisemitic.
3) This doesn't even get into her lying about rape victims (which we have very strong independent media accounts of based on video evidence taken by the attackers themselves).
Consider, for a moment, if a right wing politician you hated had said some white nationalist dog whistles and then said "a lot of women who claim to have been raped are lying". I'd imagine you'd be rightfully angry. This is the exact same fucking thing.
Excellent column! Real journalism is a tough job in today's hyper politicized and commercialized environment enabled by 'Social media' where anyone with a hate-on feels empowered.
Thanks for writing this!
Thank you.
I imagine that it took courage to write and post this. Good for you. If only there were more of you.
amen hombre.. but if your 2nd last paragraph is fantasy level ..
then your last statement has already come true
hell.. we both know it’s already true
We can’t use terms like ‘Canadian media needs to’ .. not any more ? Or ever again ?
More realistic is ‘what part of Canadian ‘media’ (if any) has any plan at all of stepping up ?
For Maureen - with respect - stepping up to what ? With what result ? Shock & Awe ?
the only question now ?
How radical guerrilla the tearing down of Yellow spectrum Media MUST BE
In order to Lead Stimulate Empower Validate.. A defence of Canada must be ..
and when the Grim Reality Is.. Re need a TACTICAL LEVEL bellingcat COHORT
of what I’ve named ‘Canadian Wolverines’ as per Sun Tzu ‘Know Your Adversary !’
Where Is Our Most Needed Wolverines List.. re all the specialism required
Search ID Background Personal Data History - the Company They Keep
Who’s Money They Take - For Work or Bribe - where are the roots of the CPC War Room
this is all about Pierre.. ride of his life
a vast machine is carrying him to a scheduled arrangement.. and he’s just the guy
phenomenal performer.. shallow as an outhouse hole .. ripening what ? 30 years !
20 years to purportedly many millions.. powerful payoffs non ?
‘media’ including himself - yes.. He Is Media.. He Is The Message.. is anybody listening ?
every single day - he is ‘fronting himself everywhere = 10 hits per day average
They Are Shooting Every Dam Day
every single day - Partisan YellowSpectrumMedia are as well.. Echoing (Shadow Ministering)
indeed essentially Campaigning by ‘Reporting’ him.. whew !
The Mother Ship Of War must have entire Departments encompassing many bureaus
all this integrating together.. and we get to watch the show on TV, Phone, Computer, Pad, In Car everywhere
Excellent!