On May 5, CBC News featured an article which wrongly stated the following as an undisputed fact: “Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since the Islamic militant group seized power in Gaza in 2007. In the 2014 summer war, more than 2,200 Palestinians, about two-thirds of them civilians, were killed. On the Israeli side, 66 soldiers and seven civilians were killed.”
As HRC told CBC News editors, the claim that 2/3 of 2,200 dead Palestinians were civilians lacks attribution, but more importantly, Israel contests this and claims that there was a 1:1 ratio of Palestinian casualties (combatant/civilians) and half of the 2,200 dead Palestinians, Israel claims, were combatants. In fact, CBC Ombudsman Esther Enkin had previously affirmed that when reporting on Gaza casualties, CBC is obligated to show both perspectives. This finding and editorial directive was prompted by an HRC complaint to the Ombudsman back in November of 2014.
Following our intervention with the CBC, we’re pleased to note that this statement was amended and the following correction notice was issued:
